Marks of Life
by Vulvarity
Summary: She was pure energy, always bouncing from one thing to the next. She met every obstacle with a positive attitude and confidence beyond measure. She was everything that he was not. That's what made them work so well. The story of Kobayashi Niko and Azumane Asahi is filled with challenges, but they wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Soulmate AU.
1. The First of Many

There wasn't a time that Asahi could ever remember not having at least one bruise coloring his skin. Even as a child, he'd realized quickly that many of the marks were in places he'd never done anything to. When a large bruise blossomed across his face one day, he knew for sure that it wasn't his doing. He'd quickly run to his parents, begging them to explain what was happening to him. He was seven at the time.

When his parents had seen the bruise covering over half of his face, they'd had to take a moment to recover from the surprise. Soon, however, his mother knelt down. Her cool fingers danced across his smarting cheek, and she smiled as she explained it to him.

"Your soulmate is somewhere out there, and they've been hurt. We all have soulmates, and we're connect to one another through our pain. When you've been hurt, those bruises or scrapes will show on your soulmate's skin – and the same goes for when your soulmate is in pain." She'd paused, looking at his father with a knowing smile on her lips. "They must be fairly close for him to have such a dark mark."

He hadn't understood what she meant by that at the time, but he grasped the basic concept of soulmates just fine. The following day, he got a paper cut and had come home crying. When his father had asked him what was wrong, the boy wailed about not wanting to hurt his soulmate. He can distinctly remember them both laughing for a moment before he was pulled into a hug.

This time, his parents laid out a bit more foundation for him. While he'd been injured the cut would only be reflected in a tiny mark on his soulmate's skin, because of the distance between the two. The greater the distance between the two, the less they felt of one another's pain. It was only when you were in the same room did injuries manifest completely on one another's skin.

Over time, Asahi began worrying less and less about the marks on his skin. He continued to studiously check over them every night, but the surprise at finding a new one dwindled each day. Before long, he started playing volleyball and was covered in bruises of his own making. Through the years, the thought of his soulmate has always stayed in the back of his mind. He knew they were close, but it felt like they were light years away at times. Yet he remained hopeful of their meeting soon.

By the time he'd entered high school, it was impossible to tell which bruises were his, and which ones were 'gifts' from the bond. At one point during their first year, Sugawara had made the observation that given the consistency of bruises, it was likely that Asahi's soulmate played a sport as well. For some reason, that had made him happy.

* * *

Kobayashi Niko had never been a fan of staying still. Even as a child, she was constantly running and jumping around. It'd caused quite a few tumbles and spills, and more than one injury – usually nothing more than a smarting bruise or miniscule cut, but it was enough to make her parents worry incessantly. When she started showing interest in sports when she was six, her parents decided it was time to explain the basic concept soulmates to her. Unfortunately, it didn't have the effect that they wanted.

Rather than deter her from physical activities, the thought of someone else sharing her injuries – even just on a smaller scale – fascinated her. It had stalled her for a couple of days, but she quickly concluded that she was happy and that it was okay if she hurt sometimes because none of it was permanent. A bruise only last a few days or a week, and cuts healed quickly so there was no need to worry. And so she continued, much to her parent's dismay.

She joined her elementary school's girls' volleyball club when she was seven. Shortly after joining, she was hit in the face by a stray ball, leaving her with a bloody nose and a dark bruise that lasted weeks. When she'd arrived home, her parents had worried over her and told her it would happen again as she continued to play. She refused to allow this to discourage her. In her childish mind, a little pain was okay because volleyball made her happier than anything else did.

When she was eight, she met Oikawa Tōru and Iwaizume Hajime, who were members of the boys' volleyball club. They became friends quickly, mostly due to her insistence on practicing with them and Oikawa's fascination with her. Within the span of a few short months, most of their days were spent together. After club practice, they'd often be found practicing on their own.

A few months after meeting them, Niko discovered something that set her heart on fire. They'd watched the nationals together, and while Oikawa had been gripped by the setter, and Iwaizumi by the ace, she found herself drawn to the player on the back of the line. The one constantly moving on and off the court, defending the players from behind. Libero. The protector on the back line, the one who made sure the ball didn't drop.

She'd garnered some disdain from other girls in her club at the time when she voiced her desire to become a libero – especially when their teacher explained the position a bit more. Many of the other girls didn't understand why she'd want to play in a position where she'd never be able to spike or attack from. She paid them no mind. Her heart was set, and she refused to budge on the subject.

Over the years, she developed alongside Oikawa and Iwaizumi. The three were always together, even as they entered the same junior high, and later on, the same high school. They never stopped practicing side by side, however it became more sporadic as they became more and more involved with their teams. Honing their skills, each of them continued to grow and better themselves and their reflexes.

Oikawa would go on to become captain of the boys' team, Iwaizumi the ace, and she became an unofficial co-captain of the girls'. Throughout this time, she still marveled at new bruises that manifested randomly – and wondered what kind of person her soulmate was. She had an inkling that he was an athlete, and that thought made her soar.

* * *

A/N - Hello everyone! Thank you for tuning in to the first chapter of Marks of Life! I hope you all enjoy it! It's my first published story, so I appreciate any constructive criticism that you all may offer. I intend to update once a week - Mondays will probably be when I do, but there may be some variation. Thank you, again!


	2. Trouble Comes in Threes

In retrospect, Niko really should have told Oikawa no when he asked her to help the boys practice after school. She'd had her own practice, but when she owed him a favor from a bet she'd lost, she couldn't really say no. It hadn't helped that he'd come over to ask while she was sitting with the girls' volleyball captain and a few players. They'd been all too happy to hand her over, teasing her about spending time with her boyfriends. Her exaggerated eye roll and glare had done nothing to deter them.

She hadn't conceded until her captain had pointed out that it would be good practice for her, and that the girls' team would be fine without her for one practice. And so, she made her way to the gym the boys practiced in after school. Niko had already changed into her training clothes beforehand, so she set her bag on the bleachers before making her way to the huddle of players across the court.

"Niko-chan from the girls' team is here to cheer us on today, so do your best, everyone!" Tōru's voice rang out clearly, the false overly-positive attitude making her roll her eyes. She'd never understand why he put on such a farce all the time. It seemed exhausting to be someone else so often. Coming up behind the captain, she clapped him on the back none-too-lightly, making him stumble forward.

"Not just cheer you on, I'm here to practice with you all, too!" She beamed, nudging between Hajime and Tōru easily, her blonde hair swinging behind her. The wing spiker glanced down at her, the corner of his lips twitching as she pushed their captain out of the way. She quickly shifted her attention to the two first years, the only two she didn't know. "Niko Kobayashi, it's a pleasure to meet you two." Both males flushed brightly, stammering greetings as they shot looks at their senpais. No one else seemed phased to have her there.

Coach Irihata had mercy on the first years, and cut into the discussion to explain. "Kobayashi is a nationally-ranked libero, so playing with and against her will give you all plenty of practice. If you let your guard down, you'll lose." He said, smirking a bit as Niko straightened up and beamed at him for his praise. The first years stared at the girl, amazed by this new information.

The second and third years had been through this before – it wasn't the first time Tōru had roped her into their practice. With introductions and explanations out of the way, she bounced on the heels of her feet and grinned at the team around her.

"I'm so excited to play with you all, and see what's new this year. I hope we can all learn from each other! Let's have fun!" Her energy level was something to be admired, a few of the boys noted. Setup seemed to go quicker because everyone was spurred on by her excitement. Then again, it was also likely that they were simply aiming to impress her.

After the coaches had sorted them into teams, a few of the players groaned. Matsukawa was the first to voice his dissent, brows furrowed as he frowned. "C'mon, that's not fair to put all three of you on the same team. How are we supposed to score any points now?"

On the other side of the net, Niko bounced between Hajime and Tōru, laughing. "You aren't! It's the first time in ages we've gotten to play together, leave us alone you loser." Sticking her tongue out at him, she ignored the way he half-heartedly rolled his eyes and offered her a lazy grin. Shifting her attention to her best friends, she slapped both boys on their backs. "Let's break them!"

"You're sadistic, saying something like that so cheerily." Hajime let out a low grunt as he reprimanded her lightly, rubbing his back where she'd hit him. Niko was quite a bit stronger than she looked. Meanwhile Tōru was bent over dramatically, whining about his poor back and how she was a demon in disguise.

"No worries, once we scramble the teams, I'll be sure to prevent you from scoring any points while I'm on the court ~" She said in a sing-song voice, skipping to her position on the court eagerly.

The whistle blew shortly afterwards, and the game began. The first years had been put on the team against the trio, and quickly learned why the second and third years had been excited for Niko to join them. Every time she was on the court, she became the center of attention. It was unusual for a libero, but no one could keep their eyes off of her. She was lightning, dashing, jumping, and leaping from one end to the other as she received countless balls.

While it was far from the first time she'd played with the boys, it was still a shock to receive some of their spikes. There were plenty of strong female players, but the male body was simply built more powerfully. Niko spent the first few rallies of the match getting used to the pure power behind them. They threw her off balance more than once, and the balls went soaring through the air in wobbly directions.

"Sorry, sorry!" Niko called out each time a receive was off, her brows furrowed together. Gradually, the apologizing happened less and less often as she became re-accustomed to the heavy hitting. As this happened, the atmosphere of the team shifted as well. An ever-evolving libero, she began bracing herself more and using both arms to receive, connecting more balls and keeping them in the air.

The opposing team was rarely able to score when she was playing. As they learned this, they began to avoid spiking or hitting the ball near her. Realizing this, Niko laughed and blew them a kiss, much to their chagrin. Their attempts at thwarting her weren't quite successful, though. Despite their best efforts to avoid her, she continued to derail them alongside Tōru and Hajime.

It really hadn't been fair to put the three players on the same team – that much became obvious when the game ended after two sets. As childhood friends, they were completely in sync with one another's movements. Unlike other players, the three of them didn't need verbal or even hand signals to work fluidly together. The trio's team had won both sets, at 25-20 and 25-17. It wasn't even that the other team wasn't good, it was simply the fact that the three best friends were so in sync with one another that they left little to be desired on the court.

Cheering at their victory, Niko made sure to go around and congratulate everyone for doing a great job. When she made her way to Watari, he grinned and wrapped her in a hug. "It's always fun playing against you, you're a beast on the court." She laughed, squeezing him lightly before she took a step back.

"You're getting better every day! Won't be long 'til you surpass me, grasshopper."

"I can only hope I'm good enough to be called the nation's top libero." He grinned, pointing out a fact that the others had failed to mention to the first years. Nearby, they were openly staring as this information registered with them. The coach had explained she was nationally ranked… but not that high.

"Pfft, nation's top _youth_ libero. And that's only in the women's division, too." Sarcasm dripped from her words. Waving her hand flippantly, Niko rolled her eyes as she parroted what so many people told her. In front of her, Watari frowned and opened his mouth – no doubt to reassure her. "No need, Watari-kun. I know. Those people are idiots. I'm a damn good libero, and if they want to nitpick the details because I've got boobs, they can have fun. I won't let it bother me."

Smiling brightly, Niko leaned forward to quickly press a kiss to his cheek before bounding off to Tōru and Hajime again. Watari stood frozen, blood rushing to his cheeks as his brain tried to process what had just happened. A hand clamped down on his shoulder tightly, breaking him from his stupor.

"Ahhh, that's the first time she's done that to you, isn't it? Don't worry, she's just overly affectionate. She does it to everyone, it's her way of saying thanks usually." Matsukawa's hand squeezed his shoulder as Watari tilted his head towards him. "So don't overthink it too much." With another grin, the middle blocker released him and ambled across the court.

A few minutes later, the teams were scrambled – this time more evenly, luckily. Overall, they ended up playing quite a few matches against one another and ended up practicing well into the evening. The results varied as a whole, but it became obvious pretty quickly to the first years why their senpais looked up to Niko so much.

She was like a sun, bouncing around the gym and lighting everyone up. It was hard not to get hyped up alongside her. She encouraged the team – no matter which side they were on – and pointed out flaws and tricks that would help them. It was as if Niko willed them to improve, and by sheer determination not to disappoint her, everyone did. Bit by bit, step by step, ball by ball.

At the end of the night, after cleanup, she bid the team goodbye – but promised that she would come back for another practice session at some point. Playing with them had been exhilarating. There were new challenges and obstacles that she had to overcome and push past. They helped her grow just as much as she helped them.

"Chibi-chan, wait up." Tōru called out, rushing up next to her. "Your mom will kill us if we let you walk alone." Lips pursing out, Niko pouted lightly. Her mother was insanely overprotective of her. Despite being a legal adult now, and pretty capable of caring for herself, her mother always insisted that she never walk home alone after dark. The two boys always made sure to walk her home, which earned them many, _many_ brownie points in her mother's eyes.

Hajime jogged up and settled on her other side after nudging her with his elbow. "Might as well accept that it's gonna be this way until you're married. Probably even then, though." His brow quirked, and he laughed as her eyes narrowed and she smacked his shoulder. "Hey, hey, don't hit me. It's just the truth."

"Shut up." Despite trying to be serious, her façade was cracking fast. The corners of her lips twitched, then she bit her bottom lip and looked away. He simply waited, lips curling up in a slight smirk. Moments later, she burst into laughter. Reaching out with both hands, she grabbed onto each boy's elbow on either side of her. "C'mon, I wanna take a bath when I get home. I'm exhausted." She was sweaty, and her bangs were clinging to her face, so a bath was just what she needed.

"You're so aggressive, Chibi-chan. How're you gonna get a boyfriend like this?" Tōru looked at her, a grin on his lips as he baited her. Her gaze honed in on him, but with one look at the coy expression on his face, she knew he was just trying to push her buttons. Ineffectively, might she add. Laughing, she tugged him towards her sharply.

"Better to be aggressive and alone than annoying and you."

"That doesn't even make sense!"

"Ha, but it's true, Shittykawa."

"Iwa-chan, that's mean!"

The way home, they were all laughing and teasing each other. It was a friendship built over the course of a decade, and something to be envied. By the time Hajime and Tōru had dropped Niko off, they were grinning to themselves. Being around her always had that effect on them.

* * *

A/N - I wanted to post the first two chapters, since number one was just a little intro and fairly short. I hope you are all enjoying it so far! Let me know what you think :)


	3. The First Time

It wasn't until Interhigh preliminaries rolled around that Niko was sighted near the boys' team again. It was the first day, and they'd just won their only game. Niko was still wearing the girls' volleyball uniform when she came racing up to the boys. She all but tackled Tōru and Hajime when she threw herself at the two of them.

"You guys really should stop standing so close to one another, it makes this so easy." She clung to them, her arms wrapped around their shoulders as she hung between them like a monkey. "I feel so tall!" Swinging her feet, she simply grinned when Hajime turned to glare at her, green eyes clashing with dark brown, while Tōru whined and tried to push her off - unsuccessfully. Her arm was like a vice around his shoulder.

"Heard you guys won your first round! Congrats! We did, too!" She exclaimed, cheering for herself and the boys' team. The high of winning the first of hopefully many matches was unlike anything else. Niko's heart was still racing, adrenaline pumping through her veins. As the boys parroted her congratulations back at her, the girl thanked them quickly. She was on a mission, though, and soon turned her attention to the more responsible members of the team. "Unfortunately for you all, I require the attention of my boys for just a little while. I've got some juicy gossip to share with them. I'll return them to you in one piece, I promise!"

Niko released Tōru and Hajime, dropping to the floor on her feet. Her hands slid into theirs, tugging them forward as she turned. Hajime's brows lifted, curiosity shimmering in his gaze as he looked down at the blonde-haired girl. She met his gaze with a confident grin. Niko wasn't one for actual gossip, and she knew that both of her best friends were aware of this. Even Tōru, for all of his theatrics and complaining the majority of the time, fell silent and followed her willingly as he and Hajime were guided away from the crowds.

The trio wound through the halls until she finally stopped in an empty corridor. After a cursory glance around to make sure they were alone, Niko released their hands and tugged the front of their jerseys to make them bend down so they were at her level. She spoke her next words softly, and the duo strained to hear them. "I think my soulmate is a volleyball player." It took the pair of boys only a moment to react. Hajime's lips curled down into a soft frown, his brows furrowing while Tōru's eyes widened and he grinned widely.

"I could _feel_ it when these new marks formed," Niko pointed out a few dark red spots along her arms, "and I am positive these weren't from my match. My palms have been pretty sensitive, too. I've never been able to feel… all of it. Before, I only saw the bruises after they were already fully formed, and I didn't feel the impact that caused them." Her tongue darted out, wetting her lips as her green orbs slid to observe the redness on her skin. Hajime's hand clamped down on Tōru's shoulder as the setter opened his mouth - a clear indicator not to interrupt.

"You're supposed to be able to feel more the closer you are to your soulmate, right? They hurt. Like I was in another match, receiving them myself. More than anything I've gotten from my soulmate before." The more she spoke, the more Niko's body began to tremble. Both excitement and nerves zipped through her veins as she rambled on, words getting more and more jumbled as she spoke. "And, um, I mean, it would make sense – if they're here too, I'd be more sensitive. So would they, so I wonder if they've noticed? Maybe I could-"

"They're definitely here. But that doesn't mean you should go running off trying to find them right away." Hajime cut in, his hand moving to grip her shoulder gently. Niko was working herself up into a frenzy, he recognized that she needed to take a break. "You're not feeling anything new right now, yeah?" She shook her head, teeth ravaging her lower lip. "Then that means their matches have already finished. They've probably already left by now. Wait until tomorrow. Don't do anything without us."

Where Hajime was being supportive, yet protective, Tōru was a devil in setter's clothing as he stood there grinning at her. "Ohh, what a surprise this is!" His arm snaked around her shoulders as he bent closer to her. "You're betraying us! A soulmate in a rival team - how scandalous, honestly, Chibi-chan. Are we not good enough for you?~ "

Her elbow found a new home in his ribs as she jabbed him in the side, her eyes narrowed as she shifted her darkened gaze to him. He flinched, leaping back with raised hands. Yet Niko knew he was going to continue teasing her about this for quite a while. "No! If you scare them away when we find them, I will kill you, Shittykawa!" He laughed, an innocent smile on his lips. "I don't even know if we'll be able to find them, so do not speak a word of this to anyone. Not even Thing One and Thing Two. Or else."

Her nickname for Matsukawa and Hanamaki made him cover his mouth, covering a snort of laughter with a cough. Nonetheless, he agreed to her demands. Playing with Niko when she was on a mission was like playing with fire. Dangerous. A decade of friendship between them meant she had plenty of blackmail on them - more so Tōru than Hajime.

Once both boys were sworn to secrecy, Niko let herself relax a little bit. Her skin was flushed, and her heart was beating wildly in her chest but her shoulders sagged with relief. Despite her confident exterior, the girl was incredibly nervous about the possibility of meeting her soulmate. Niko has always wondered about what kind of person they would be. Would they be kind and gentle, or rough around the edges? Excitable and energetic or calm and collected?

Now that she knew that they were a volleyball player as well, and that they were close enough for her to _feel_ the injuries… it was overwhelming. There were so many things to consider, so many things that could go wrong - but also that could go right. Bouncing up and down on her heels in front of them, Niko clasped her hands behind her back and ran the possibilities through her head. Her friends stilled, observing her silently.

If they were on a volleyball team that had to mean they were passionate about it as well. That was a bonus for her already. Which team, though? It couldn't have been Date Tech or Senseki, as she's been to their schools before and never felt anything. Running a list of schools through her head, she tried to pinpoint which ones were most likely. There were so many options, though. So many people. What if it was a first year? If so, they could be from one of the schools that she'd been to before?

"Chibi-chan is gonna make her head explode, thinking so much when she barely has a brain to begin with. We'll try to figure it out tomorrow. Let's go~" Tōru teased her lightly, earning a soft glare from her. Laughing, the setter slapped her on the shoulder and shoved her towards the entrance of the gymnasium. Hajime was quick to clamp his hand down on her other shoulder, guiding her back the way they came.

"Surprisingly, trashykawa is right." Tōru let out an indignant yell at the name, but a glare from his ace silenced him. "We will have some time tomorrow. We need to head back to our teams."

Her lower lip jutted out and she gave them a mournful look. "You guys are so cruel." Her only answer was a smirk and a grin from her two best friends, resulting in laughter bubbling up from her. With the half-baked plan cemented into place, Niko was quick to delve into their respective games of the day.

If anything could distract her, it was talking about volleyball. For the time being, she let herself relax. It was going to be a long night, because Niko was positive she wouldn't be able to sleep very well with what she knew now.

* * *

After the first day of Interhigh Preliminaries, Asahi found himself overwhelmed with excitement. Karasuno had successfully won their first two rounds, and would move on tomorrow. It was going to be an uphill battle from here, but the ace couldn't deny the fact that he was utterly thrilled about their wins. Especially against Date Tech. It'd been a huge boost to his confidence, and reaffirmed his love for the sport once again.

Despite the excitement he felt over the matches, there was a thought that had been nagging him all day. Rubbing his arm as they began dispersing from the bus that brought them back home, Asahi fell into step with Sugawara and Daichi. His skin was overly tender - more than it should've been after just two matches. He'd been bothered by his sensitivity since arriving at Interhigh this morning, but had been too focused on the matches to think anything of it. It wasn't until the bus ride home that realization began to dawn on him.

It wasn't a topic that he knew how to broach with his friends. Fortunately for him, though, Sugawara picked up on his discomfort within just a few short moments. "Asahi. Are you alright? You've been nursing your arms a lot today." His captain and vice-captain both turned to him, watching as his hand stilled on his elbow. Asahi's gaze dropped, and he stammered, unsure of how to tell them what he felt. A deep breath in, then he steeled his gaze and nodded resolutely. This was as good of an opportunity as any, he supposed.

"I think my soulmate was there today." Saying it out loud was like someone punched the air from his lungs. His face grew warm, and his heartbeat fluttered against his ribs. His two friends immediately stilled alongside him, forcing him to halt as he awaited their responses. Asahi's heartbeat was deafening in the silence. They stared at him with wide eyes for what seemed like forever before Daichi spoke up.

"You're sure?"

Nodding, Asahi began rubbing at his elbow again – this time more out of nervousness than discomfort. "Yeah, I, uh… I think they play volleyball, too." Shock registered on both Sugawara and Daichi's faces, but they remained silent as he continued to explain. "Obviously we get bruises and stuff from playing every day, and I know I did today. But, ah, there's other ones that I could, um, feel – as, ah, they formed. Usually I don't feel that, I just see them when they're already there…"

He trailed off, brows furrowed as he shifted side to side a bit. His chest felt tight, and butterflies were beating against his stomach. On one hand, he was ecstatic about the discovery, but on the other he was incredibly nervous over the fact that he could possibly meet them soon. Even now, his heart felt like it was about to leap right out of his chest as he thought of them. It took only a moment for Daichi and Sugawara to gather themselves. They clapped him on the shoulder simultaneously, and Asahi stumbled forward with wide eyes.

"That's a good thing, Asahi! If you want, we can try and find them between tomorrow's games. If you felt all of that, it means they did, too – so they'll no doubt be looking for you as well!" Sugawara was ever the voice of reason, calming the taller male's frayed nerves. On his other side, Daichi nodded resolutely.

"Should we tell Kiyoko? She could help scout the girls' teams while we see if any of the boys' teams know anything." The ace's pulse stuttered for a moment, before he nodded. It would be the smartest thing to do. Asahi trusted his fellow third years, and knew he wouldn't have anything to worry about by involving them. It was the second years that could cause more trouble than necessary. "Good. We'll talk to her in the morning, and go from there. For now, we'll keep it between just the third years."

It was a shaky plan for the time being, but it was the best that they could do, considering the circumstances. As they began walking again, Sugawara and Daichi both noted how Asahi moved a little faster, a smile tugging at his lips. He'd waited for so long to meet his soulmate. Many nights had been spent with him wondering who they would be, and what they would be like. That night, it took ages for him to fall asleep. When he finally did, dreams of volleyball and a faceless soulmate greeted him.

* * *

The following day, the third years met up to discuss the plan for the day. Kiyoko was quick to agree to help after Asahi explained everything again, much less nervously than the previous day. As the sun gradually rose higher into the sky, the four of them solidified their shaky plan.

None of them would have a lot of time to search, but they all agreed that a little bit was better than nothing at all. Kiyoko would spend short breaks looking around the girls' teams to try and see if she could find any information, and the boys would try to scout the crowd and other teams as well. It was a long shot, but none of them were willing to back down from the challenge.

"Like Suga said last night, they're probably going to be looking for you. If they play volleyball, their time will be limited to between matches as well. It'll be like find a needle in a haystack," Daichi clapped Asahi on the back as the ace deflated at the mention, "but we will do our best. Don't lose focus on the game, though."

"I won't. We'll win the matches today, and continue to move forward." Everyone nodded resolutely, hopeful smiles on their faces. The trek to the school was filled with conversation about Asahi's soulmate - mostly Sugawara trying to brainstorm about what kind of person they were. At one point, Daichi had laughed and joked that Suga was probably just as excited about it as Asahi was, earning himself a half-hearted glare from the setter.

"It's not every day that one of your best friends has the chance to meet their soulmate. Obviously I'm excited." Suga had said with a roll of his eyes, yet a smile tugged at his lips nonetheless. Despite the teasing, Daichi found himself agreeing.

When they made it to the school yard, the topic changed to more mundane issues, for the sake of Asahi's privacy. No more talk about soulmates was to be had while they were on the bus and making their way to the gymnasium once again.

A good portion of the time before their first match was spent with the third years slipping away in brief spurts. Asahi, Daichi, and Sugawara moved as a unit through the halls, prodding players for information and keeping their ears open for discussion about soulmates. Kiyoko did much of the same in the halls with the girls' volleyball teams. Unfortunately, no one was of any help.

Their prying had led to many odd looks, and more than one scoff and derisive statement, but they brushed it off. When they all convened outside of the gym, it was a disappointing conversation of having no luck with it. Asahi reassured them that it was fine, and that they'd try again later if they could.

The group gathered inside with their team once again, this time to wait for when they could enter the gym. Kiyoko stood with their coach, discussing the upcoming match while the boys all began to stretch. Asahi, Daichi, and Sugawara sat with one another on the outskirts of the group. The latter two didn't miss how Asahi's eyes flickered over the players meandering through the halls.

"Asahi, try not to worry about it for now. We'll look more after the match." Despite the fact that the ace nodded in agreement, his eyes continued to roam the halls. Eventually, his gaze landed on Oikawa Tōru, who stood at the other end of the hallway. Daichi and Sugawara followed his gaze. They all watched as a blonde girl came running up to him and tugged him down to her level, laughing as she whispered something in his ear. As her lips landed on his cheek, they all looked away.

"I didn't know Oikawa had found his… nevermind. It doesn't matter. Sugawara is right, Asahi." Daichi nudged their ace lightly, patting him on the shoulder lightly. "We'll come back to it later, I promise."

"You're right. Sorry." Releasing his breath in a slow exhale, Asahi nodded and shifted so his back was to the crowd. With the match against Aoba Johsai nearing, the third years needed to focus. They each threw their attention into the team as they began to prepare for the match. The search for his soulmate would continue later.

For now, everyone knew that they needed to focus on volleyball. The four of them ended up pushing the thought of soulmates away for the time being. Going into the match distracted would not be helpful for anyone - especially the team as a whole.

* * *

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and followed the story! A special thanks to bansheehime for helping me with some editing and being a huge part of my decision to publish this! Thank you to valancia, a guest, and bansheehime who each reviewed the story so far! I appreciate each of you, and your decision to follow this story :)


	4. Of Heartache and Disappointment

The morning of day two at Interhigh, Niko spent some of her time bouncing through the halls, on the search for her soulmate. She'd told Tōru and Hajime that she wouldn't do anything without them, but they were busy and she was impatient. Her time wasn't well-spent, though. Those that she'd approached had been quick to tell her that they didn't know anything, and despite pinching herself lightly a few times no one had ever reacted while she was near.

In the end, Niko had pushed the thought of her soulmate to the back of her mind for the time being. Her team was her only focus right now, and the matches ahead of her. Winning the first meant moving into a second match a few hours later, and a third a while after that. She couldn't afford to worry about anything else right now.

The first match flew by, with Aoba Johsai's girls' team winning both sets easily. It was somewhat of an unfair battle – the other team had consisted of mostly first years. While they'd been talented enough to win their matches the previous day, it was a stroke of bad luck that they'd had to go against a powerhouse school so early on.

"Alright, stretch, cool down a bit, and get something to eat. Most importantly, rest your bodies, but don't let them cool down completely. We're planning on this being a long day." Their coach clapped her hands, grinning at the team. They were all sweating, but beaming from ear to ear. Winning was exhilarating, it always pumped them up and got them ready to move on to the next challenge.

"I'm gonna go check on the boys, I think their match is still in progress." Niko called out, receiving a short wave of approval from her coach. The other girls told her to wish the boys well for them, and then she was on her way. Weaving through the halls, she dodged around the crowds easily. She had to navigate to the upper level so she'd come out in the stands, but it took less time than she thought it would to find her way around.

When she opened the doors to the gymnasium, the sound of the ball slamming against the court reverberated throughout the gym. The silence that followed was momentary, before the crowd was screaming. Niko dashed down the aisles, sliding to a halt at the railing behind both teams. A whistle blew, one of the coaches calling a timeout.

Her eyes darted around the court, identifying the opponents as Karasuno High School. "Third set? Karasuno won one against them?" She mumbled, eyes widening in surprise. "And they're at deuce. Impressive." As the cheering squad started up again, Niko found the boys she was looking for. Immediately, she grinned brightly.

Gripping the railing, she leaned over it slightly, looking down at the team. Waving excitedly, she screamed out at them. "YOU CAN DO IT, BOYS!" Both teams startled, members of each turning to look at her. Ignoring the stares of the Karasuno players, Niko pressed her palm to her lips and blew the boys' team a kiss once they were all looking at her. The action made more than one of the boys blush, looking away shyly.

From on the court, Hajime and Tōru both smiled, waving at her. "Yoo-hoo, Chibi-chan! Slacking off again?" Tōru laughed when she turned her gaze to him suddenly. Karasuno's players had mostly turned around, ignoring the girl. A few continued to watch, curiosity piqued.

"We won! Been waiting for you, losers!" Grinning, Niko leaned across the railing again, resulting in a glare from Hajime. Mama Haji was coming out to play, she could tell just from that look. She remained leaning over the rail, simply waiting for him to speak as she grinned deviously at him.

"Stop leaning over the rail, dumbass!" He called out to her aggressively, glaring daggers. If looks could kill, surely she'd have flopped over the railing and crashed to the floor.

"Yes, mother!" Niko laughed, blowing him a kiss before pulling back. Looking over to the Karasuno players, she caught a few of them looking at her. Namely the libero and numbers five and ten. She was quick to wink at them and blow them a kiss as well. Two of them put their hands over their hearts, shouting in joy while the other simply blushed and looked away. The reaction made her giggle.

They were an interesting team, one that she had to admit that she wouldn't mind getting to know or playing against. As the whistle blew, signaling the end of the timeout, the teams gathered and headed back onto the court. Karasuno served, and it was a whirlwind of action. Number ten was running back and forth, going for attack after attack, no matter how many times they were received or blocked. To say Niko was impressed would be an understatement. He was like a ball of lightning and stamina, but his technique needed work a bit. The setter was the truly impressive one right now.

Ten was quick, and jumped higher than she would have assumed he could. When he and their setter scored the first point against Hajime – even with a toss that was off – Niko's heart skipped a beat. Watching players like him got her pumped up. Even though her team had lost that point, she cheered. A good play was a good play, after all. She knew one point wouldn't cause her boys' team to panic.

The next serve, she was proven correct quickly enough, giving her another reason to cheer. Then, it was Tōru's turn to serve. From above, she spotted the mistake as his hand hit the ball with more force than usual, causing Niko to frown and direct her attention to the libero of Karasuno. He was watching the ball intently, moving out of the way at the last second. It went out. A good call on his part, but the girl wasn't surprised.

In the world of youth liberos, Nishinoya was someone well-known for his skill. She'd had her eye on him for quite some time. Seeing him playing against Aoba Johsai was incredible, and she wished she could've come in sooner to watch.

Tōru's serve had been a simple mistake, but one that could cost Seijoh the match if they weren't careful. It wasn't hard for her to tell that that Tōru wasn't quite as calm as he appeared to be. Which meant Karasuno was a lot stronger than he'd anticipated. The next point was won by Hajime, and Niko released a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

Hajime had always been more collected and harder to rattle when compared to their more exuberant friend. Compared to her as well, if Niko wanted to be honest. He was calm and steady where they were a little wild and all over the place. It was Hajime who helped calm Tōru down, and pushed him forward. That was more important than many people realized. Leaning against the railing, she watched with bated breath as the match continued.

So focused on the match as she was, it took Niko a little bit to realize her right palm and her arms were stinging. Her breath stopped, and she looked down at her hand slowly. Her palm was red, her skin tingling. Eyes darting to the court, she felt her chest tighten as realization began to dawn on her. No longer was the actual match her focus – instead, she watched Karasuno's players.

The hand squeezing her heart gave a sharp tug before releasing the pressure when she watched the ace hit the ball over the net – and her hand stung sharply in tandem with his. Niko's eyes widened, and her breath faltered. The ball being blocked by Aoba Johsai barely registered for her – until discomfort in her triceps made her flinch and she came flying back to the present.

Her chest tightened again, and she took a step back from the railing, gripping the front of her jersey. Her breath came in short, stuttering gasps and her heart felt like it was made of lead. Despite her team winning, Niko couldn't bring herself to cheer. No sound left her as she stared at the brown-haired ace of Karasuno. The way his shoulders drooped, his chin dipping and his eyes squeezing shut weren't lost on her. Even as they lined up, then as they filed out of the gym, she was silent. Her eyes following him. It was only when he was out of sight that she finally pulled herself together. Somewhat.

In a daze, Niko walked over closer to where Seijoh stood and called out to them. She had to push beyond her devastation and force a grin to her lips as she leaned over the railing to call out to the boys. "CONGRATULATIONS! I knew you guys could do it!" The team all shifted to acknowledge her, grinning and smiling back at her. Tōru and Hajime, however, remained silent. They stared at her, and from this distance she could make out small frowns on their lips. She had absolutely no doubt in her mind that they could tell something was off. Rather than dwell on it, or give them time to figure it out, Niko blew the team a kiss and darted away.

The halls were crowded, people meandering around as they waited between matches or left afterwards. Niko had to push her way through the crowd, dashing around people as she trekked to the lower level of the arena. Her breathing was ragged, and she felt like she was running in a marathon. Volleyball teams filled the halls, but the girl paid them no mind. She gripped the front of her jersey a bit tighter, her eyes burning.

All of her hopes of meeting her soulmate today – it felt like they were being flushed down a drain. Her heartbeat stuttered, her chest tightening painfully at the realization that she couldn't just approach him now. His team had just lost against hers, and her best friends were a huge force behind it. It wouldn't be fair to him… to expect him to accept her immediately, without question. As a volleyball player, Niko knew he needed time to mourn the game – without any added expectations. From what she knew, the ace was supposed to be in his third year, so this could've been his last game.

The sound of her teammates calling out for her snapped her out of her daze. They rushed up, grabbing her arms. "Niko-chan! Come on, we need to get to our next match. The coach has been looking all over for you!" Niko's gaze shifted to a clock and she startled when she saw more time had passed than she'd realized.

"Ah, yeah, sorry." The words came out slowly, and she let herself be guided through the halls to the gymnasium. Inside, Niko pushed a smile to her face and laughed at the teasing from the girls about daydreaming too much about the boys' team. After apologizing for being late, she began to practice. Her mind was a thousand miles away, though.

This showed during the second match. She made more mistakes in the first half of the first set than she usually did in a whole game. Receives were off, timing was slow, and Niko dropped more than one ball. When the coach called a time out and pulled her aside, she steeled herself and straightened her back.

"You're not yourself right now. I don't know the reason – you don't have to tell me. But calm down, and focus on what's in front of you right now. Letting something from outside the court influence you will only hurt you, and your performance." Taking a deep breath, Niko nodded under her coach's gaze before bowing to her, and then her teammates.

"I'm sorry, Takahashi-sensei! I'm sorry, everyone!" As she straightened up, she looked towards her team, who watched her curiously. Reaching up, Niko slapped both of her cheeks. "Alright! Let's get back to business, ladies!" Her coach was right. Letting this bother her was costing her and the team. So she pushed it all down, filing it away to get back to later.

Immediately, the atmosphere shifted. They all relaxed, moving forward to clap her on the back. As the timeout ended, Niko moved back onto the court. The heaviness in her heart was ignored as she focused on the match, and only the match. She focused with laser precision on the obstacle right in front of her - helping her team win this and continue to the semifinals. There wasn't room for her to worry about anything else right now.

Aoba Johsai had been lagging behind initially, but they quickly catapulted forward with the reassurance of their libero once again. She was their backbone, she couldn't let them down. Niko pushed herself harder and harder to make up for lost time. In no time at all, Aoba Johsai's sun began to shine once again. The first set was won at 25-23. The second lasted longer, but was still won with a score of 25-19.

Her team would go on to win their last game of the day, as well. They moved on to the finals the following day – against the well-known all-girls school, Niiyama. The 'Queens' were difficult opponents, as to be expected. The whole team was forced to pushed themselves above and beyond, and they fought tooth and nail against the reigning champions of Interhigh. Despite being neck and neck throughout the entire match, Aoba Johsai lost. They played five full sets, and nearly every match ended up at deuce. The first and third matches went beyond that, even, both going over thirty points for each team. Aoba Johsai won the first and fourth matches, while Niiyama won after taking the fifth set with a score of 20-22.

The ride home that day was silent. They'd gotten their tears out, and now were focusing on what was in front of them. The team was disappointed, but it wasn't the end. Spring High was right around the corner, so training would be of the utmost importance. It would be a rough couple of months. Knowing this, Niko understood that she would have very little time to meet her soulmate, if she was able to. And so, she devised a plan.

* * *

It was crushing, the disappointment of not winning the match against Aoba Johsai. Asahi was devastated, and could barely keep it together on his way off of the court. They'd fought so hard, but the wall was too high for them to climb. It had been so close. They could almost touch the top. It hadn't been enough.

His mind was so focused on the bitter loss that he didn't even register the redness on his arms as they began filing onto the bus. In a distant part of his mind, he knew it was his soulmate. Yet he couldn't bring himself up out of the fog that had descended in his mind. Asahi simply couldn't focus on anything else right now.

Even as he trudged home, he was silent. Daichi and Sugawara made no attempt at conversation, either. They all needed to take the time to process everything. It was a harsh reality that they'd had to face, and now they all needed to make a decision.

When the moon was high in the night sky, Asahi lay in his bed simply staring at the ceiling. His heart felt heavy - heavier than it had before. The reality of what happened came crashing down on him again, and sleep was simply out of the question for the time being. He instead found himself pondering the volleyball team.

Would he let this be his last defeat, and leave the team to focus on his career after high school? The answer came easily to him. No. He couldn't do that. He wouldn't do that. He wasn't planning on going to college, and volleyball was something he absolutely loved. It wasn't something that Asahi was willing to give up so easily.

Now that he had time to calm down and think rationally about everything, Asahi was in a much better place mentally. Until his brain decided to dredge up the memories of his arms stinging as he boarded the bus, and slam the fact that his soulmate had been there right into the forefront of his mind. Despite the loss, he could have used the extra time to find them instead of wallowing in his misery.

The thought made him cringe. Had he wasted the only opportunity he had to find his soulmate? He'd been so close, he knew that if he'd taken the time to follow the discomfort he'd felt it would have been an easy task to find them. That should have been his focus, they should have been his goal, said his heart.

Asahi's brain was slow to respond, but the logical side of him was vehement in its reply. He hadn't been in the right frame of mind to find his soulmate. It would have simply burdened him more, he would have felt like he owed it to them to be happy and upbeat. How could he do that when he'd felt like he'd just lost the most important match? It would have been impossible. It wouldn't have been fair to them, he knew deep down.

His brain and his heart battled on the topic for hours until he grew exhausted. He wanted to know if he'd done the right thing, but Asahi had no way of learning that answer. It would simply be another thing that he had to figure out for himself. That night, his sleep was dreamless.

* * *

A/N: Sorry it is a little bit late! Today has been a bit of a mess, but it's still Monday, so :p Thank you again to everyone who has favorited and followed so far! I appreciate all of your continued support :D As always, I appreciate all of you very much!

If anyone is interested in Bleach and would like a story to read as well, check out Daisy by bansheehime! It is absolutely captivating :D

And thank you, LynnyFox, for your review! I am happy to hear that you are enjoying the story so far, and that you like Niko! She's an adorable little bean, so I'm happy people are enjoying her!


	5. Operation 'Find That Soulmate'

It had been a couple weeks since Interhigh, and Karasuno's volleyball team had managed to push themselves back onto their feet and throw themselves into practice. On more than one occasion the entire team could be found in the gymnasium hours after the sun had fallen. With renewed vigor, they were scrabbling up the impossible wall that had knocked them off their feet.

For the first time since the initial night after their loss, Asahi found himself thinking back to his soulmate. He'd pushed the thought of them out of his head, promising himself that he would return to it later - when he was in a better headspace. Now, as he sat in class taking notes, his mind wandered to the first day of interhigh.

The high of winning had clouded his mind, but afterwards he remembered being so intensely excited about the prospect of meeting his soulmate. At the time, he'd thought there was no way he could come down from that euphoric state. Then the next day, that had crumbled around him and Asahi had been so focused on the loss that he hadn't even thought to check for them while he was there after Karasuno's match had ended. Despite this, he did have one clue about their identity.

Asahi was positive that they played volleyball, and he was even more certain that they had made it to the semifinals, if not finals of Interhigh. The marks that appeared on his skin for another day after his team's loss proved that. While he was lamenting the loss against Aoba Johsai, his soulmate had been battling with their own team.

Did they know anything about him? Could they tell he hadn't played past the first round of the day? The ace knew he couldn't count on it. He knew how focused he'd been on playing - and if they were half as dedicated as he was, they may not have realized it until much later. Which meant that if he wanted to find them, he had to narrow down which team they were on.

At lunch, Asahi headed outside with Daichi and Sugawara as usual. He'd ask them about it, and they would be able to help him. With a new determination filling him, the ace wasted no time diving right in as soon as they were all seated.

"I want to find my soulmate." The bluntness of his statement caused both of his friends to turn their gazes on him, sharp and questioning. "I missed my chance at Interhigh. But I think I could at least narrow it down a little." Asahi focused on his bento, knowing that he might lose steam if he glanced at Daichi or Sugawara right now. "They played the rest of the second day. I remember that as we were leaving, I could feel more marks. And the next day, I was covered in even more bruises and stuff. So I think they even made it to the finals."

The words came out in a rush, bunching and jumbling together as he forced them out before he could swallow them. Licking his lips, Asahi prodded at his lunch lightly. "So I want to look at the teams that made it that far."

Daichi and Sugawara exchanged bemused looks. Asahi had been silent on that front since they'd lost, so they two of them had been left wondering where his head was at concerning his soulmate. Now he was suddenly so determined to find them. Slowly, grins spread across both of their lips. They couldn't very well leave their soft-hearted ace hanging.

"Good to hear you're getting back on track with that, Asahi." Daichi grabbed his shoulder, giving him a reassuring squeeze before he nodded. "Knowing that means we can definitely narrow it down. We'll start at the top, then. I'm not sure who made it to the finals for the girls, but I can ask Yui-chan."

The captain twisted around, looking over the courtyard quickly. Yui and her friends were usually outside eating as well, so he hoped they were today as well. Next to him, Asahi nodded slowly. "O-Okay. She won't-"

"No, she won't tell anyone. Ah, there she is." Daichi was quick to wave her over when he saw her walk into the courtyard alongside a couple of her friends. The girl flushed, but motioned for her friends to go on ahead while she made her way to the trio of boys. "Hey, Yui-chan."

"What's up, Daichi-kun?" She knelt down on the grass near him, brows furrowed in confusion.

"Asahi needs some help locating his soulmate. Keep it down." He interjected quickly as she let out a surprised gasp. Yui's cheeks darkened again, and she clamped her lips shut. "They were at Interhigh. And he's certain that they made it to the semifinals, and thinks they may have even made it to the finals. Do you know which girls' teams made it that far?"

Her wide eyes landed on the ace, and Asahi immediately looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. It was awkward, talking about it with someone he didn't know all that well. Yet he was aware that she'd be a great help if she knew which teams had gone that far. So he gave her a tentative nod, cheeks flushed a deep red.

Next thing Asahi knew, Yui had scooted into their little triangle right between he and Daichi. "Oh, that's so exciting! And they play volleyball, too. That's awesome!" She said in a rush, a bright grin stretching across her lips. "Let's see, at Interhigh… Niiyama won, and Aoba Johsai's girls' team went to the finals, but lost to them. Then there was Shiratorizawa and hmm…. Oh, I think the other one that made it to semifinals was Wakutani!"

The boys looked at one another. It was just a drop of information, but it was a good start. "Thank you, Michimiya-san." Asahi turned to her, one hand lifting up to rub the back of his head as he smiled at her. "That information helps a lot."

"You're welcome! If you'd like, I could tell you a bit about some of the players? I don't know everyone, but it could give you a starting point. I'm friends with some of the girls from other teams, too." Asahi's face dropped, and his heart leapt into his throat. Telling other people, complete strangers - letting them handle it, no, no he couldn't do that.

Yui faltered as she caught sight of his expression, but after a moment she shook her head rapidly and brought Asahi's attention back to her. "Oh, no, no, I won't tell them anything if you don't want me to! I'll just ask if anyone's talked about their soulmate recently. Is that okay?"

Relief flooded through him, and Asahi hesitated for only a moment before nodding. Instantly, he was met with a smile. "Okay! So let's see, at Niiyama, there's the ace…" Yui spoke quickly, delving into a number of players from the top four high schools in the prefecture. Questions from the group of boys made her pause occasionally, but as a whole it was a complete information overload.

Asahi listened to every word she said, but the nagging part of his brain kept tugging him away from the conversation, into himself. _What does it matter to hear about them? They're probably not your soulmate. This is useless. It's pointless. What's it matter to know about someone you didn't even try to find back when you could? You failed then. Why will that change now?_

"Oh, wait." Suga's voice cut through the darkness that was wrapping around Asahi's mind and heart. Yui stopped talking, and Asahi looked over at the grey-haired boy cautiously. "Sorry." Suga flushed a bit, offering an apologetic grin for interrupting. "I just remembered a girl that stood out to me. At Interhigh, near the end of our match with Aoba Johsai." Daichi and Asahi both looked at him in confusion, but it the was the former that caught on first.

"The player that was at the railing?"

"Yeah. There was a girl that came and cheered for Aoba Johsai at the very end of our match. She was wearing the girls' uniform for the school. Long, blonde hair. She looked pretty short, but I couldn't see her well since she was up in the stands and leaning over the railing. It looked like she was pretty close to Oikawa and Iwaizumi, but I can't remember her being there after Aoba Johsai lost."

It took him a moment to recall who Suga was talking about, but when he did images of the blonde girl leaning over the railing and calling out to Aoba Johsai came flooding back. She'd been loud, Asahi recalled. Enough so that even through the cheering and yelling that was going on from the crowd, her voice had cut through it all and caught both teams' attention.

Yui had been silent, brows furrowed as she tried to figure out who it was. Until he mentioned the setter and ace. "OH! That's probably Kobayashi Niko. The libero for the girls' team. She grew up with those two, I think. I've never met her, but there's quite a few rumors that Oikawa or Iwaizumi are her soulmate, since they're so close."

Which made sense, Asahi thought with a disheartened frown. He'd briefly watched her interact with the duo, and it was clear she was incredibly good friends with them. Especially the ace, he sighed to himself. Iwaizumi had fretted over her, so they were probably… Asahi cut himself off from that line of thinking. He couldn't dwell on something so small. He had to keep pushing forward.

"Now that I think about it, I think we saw her with Oikawa before the match started." Sugawara frowned, letting out a disappointed sigh. "So that probably wasn't her, then. It was worth a shot. I just thought, since she disappeared so suddenly, that maybe…" He trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck with an awkward grin.

They all knew what he meant. Disappearing so suddenly after cheering so intensely for Aoba Johsai was outside of what they would consider to be normal. Especially given her relationship with the ace and setter. Taking a deep breath, Asahi lifted his hand and covered his eyes as he flopped backwards onto the grass. Hew as growing frustrated. Self-doubt was eating him alive.

"How about this, I'll text a few of the girls now and see if they know anything." Yui cut in again, her voice soft. "I mean, most people would talk about it with someone else, right? And even if they don't, if they overheard that you are searching… that might spur them on?" Yui said hopefully, looking at Asahi as he uncovered his eyes and met her gaze. When he nodded, albeit a bit reluctantly, she beamed and pulled out her phone.

His heart hammered against his ribcage like an overbeat drum as she sent out a dozen texts. Daichi nudged him with his knee, giving him a reassuring smile as Asahi looked at him. "We'll find them, Asahi. All of us are rooting for you, after all."

Suga grinned, reaching out and kicking Asahi's foot with his own. "Exactly! We're not giving up, so you can't either." The second kick was none too gentle, yet as he retracted his foot and sat up, Asahi couldn't help the growing smile on his lips. The doubt and insecurity that had been gripping him were batted away by his friends' encouraging smiles.

When the bell rang, signalling the end of lunch, the four of them promised to meet back up the following day. Asahi walked back to his classroom with his heart feeling a little bit lighter. THe heavy weight that had settled inside of him was being chipped away, the regret over his inaction turning into hope instead.

Even when three days had passed, and Yui informed them that none of the girls she'd contacted had heard anything, Asahi found it difficult to let the regret settle inside of him again. Instead, he stood tall with the help of his friends, and continued to persevere. It was only a matter of time before someone heard or said something. Only a matter of time before he met his soulmate. Asahi was sure of it. He had to be, after all, with forces like Suga and Daichi behind him.

Despite their failure to learn anything new, Yui did inform them that the girls that she'd contacted had promised to keep in touch if they heard anything. It was enough to keep Asahi's nerves at bay for the time being. It wasn't like he could do much else at the moment, anyway.

* * *

Karasuno High School was a lot different than she would have expected, Niko realized. The layout itself was confusing her, and there were a lot more students than she'd have assumed. For some reason, she'd always thought it was a small school. Perhaps because it wasn't well-known for anything in particular besides their volleyball team being crows that couldn't fly.

The name really wasn't all that fitting anymore, though. Niko recalled the way the team had played against Aoba Johsai. Though she'd only caught the last few minutes of the game in person, she'd managed to convince the boys' coach to lend her the video so she could watch it.

Karasuno was still learning, and they still had a lot of gaps that they needed to fill… but from what she heard about them from the boys' team, they were an absolute force to be reckoned with. Seeing the way they evolved and improved even over the course of a match was insane. Niko had watched the video of the match a dozen times by now, and could never get enough of it. Now she was going to have the opportunity to meet them. Adrenaline pumped through her veins.

It had been weeks since Interhigh, and Niko had recently decided to make her move. The decision had been spurred on after one of the second year wing spikers, Ichimaru Kaiya, mentioned receiving a text from Karasuno's former girls' team captain, Michimiya Yui. A girl that Niko didn't know personally, but apparently had been friends with Kaiya for a few years. Yui had asked Kaiya whether or not anyone from their team had felt anything from their soulmate - specifically during Interhigh.

Apparently, Asahi had an idea of which team she might be on. Not only that, but he was actively looking for her. To say that she was surprised would be a lie, if Niko chose to be honest with herself. After all, if she hadn't been lucky enough to see the match in person, and feel everything in tandem with him… she probably would've been doing the same thing.

At the time of Kaiya's questioning, Niko hadn't said anything. A few girls directed their attention to her, remembering how distracted she'd been after their first match, but the libero had been quick to deflect their attention away from her. If everyone knew, it would turn into a huge mess. Talk to Asahi first, then work her way down from there.

Until then, it was a secret she intended to keep to herself. Niko hadn't even told Tōru or Hajime yet - which had been a challenge in and of itself. She'd had to dodge around their questioning more than once, and each time she did they grew more suspicious. It wouldn't be long before they cornered her and made her tell them everything.

In Karasuno high school's halls, Niko's decision to not change out of her school uniform before coming was garnering her quite a bit of attention as she searched for the classroom she needed. Sporting the brown plaid skirt, along with the long-sleeved blue undershirt, red tie, and cream vest on top, she stuck out like a sore thumb. It was no surprise that eyes followed her every step.

Having cut her last two classes in order to get to Karasuno on time, Niko knew that she needed to hurry before their volleyball practice started. School was ending - the bell ringing out as she dodged around a corner, and she needed to find the third year hallway before her target left for practice.

Despite her usual courageous nature, Niko wouldn't be able to interrupt their practice on her own or approach her soulmate outright in that environment. She started jogging through the halls at a light pace, shouting apologies at students as she dodged around them. Oh well, it's not like anyone there knew her or could reprimand her, anyway.

A sigh of relief escaped her when she turned the corner after going up the stairs and saw the third year classrooms. People were meandering around, and as she moved through the hallway more than one stopped to stare at her. Unfortunately for their curious nature, Niko was on a mission, and paid no one any mind as she brushed past everyone hurriedly.

Coming to a halt just inside of the doorway of the classroom, Niko's gaze flitted around the room rapidly as she spoke. "I am looking for Shimizu Kiyoko." Her announcement halted conversation in the room, and everyone turned to stare at her. A moment later, she spotted the black-haired girl standing beside a desk, bag on her shoulder – clearly on her way out.

"Shimizu-san, I'd like to speak to you, if you have time." Niko stepped forward, watching Shimizu expectantly. The boldness of her request caused murmurs to spread around the room. She ignored the stares, lifting her chin as she stared directly at Karasuno's manager. The black-haired girl stood still, eyes widened as she met Niko's gaze. Then, Shimizu nodded slowly and stepped forward.

"Of course. Follow me." Shimizu said softly, leading the shorter girl from her classroom. Neither of them acknowledged nor mentioned the explosion of whispers that followed them. Once in the hallway, Niko fell into step just behind Shimizu. A hand gripped her heart in an iron fist.

Coming up with the plan had been one thing. Actually going through with it… that was entirely different. Now that she'd found Shimizu, the adrenaline that had spiked through her was ebbing away and she was left feeling like she stood on shaky ground. What if Shimizu refused? Or what if Asahi knew what school she was from by now, and had decided not to contact her because he wasn't over their loss against Aoba Johsai?

Lifting her hands, Niko pressed them to her cheeks and took a deep breath in. Stressing over it was no good. She'd have her answer soon enough, and once she had that… everything just needed to be taken one step at a time.

A shout behind them drew her attention back. "Kiyoko-san! Are you headed to the gym?" Sugawara was striding forward, a smile stretching across his lips. Daichi was right on his heels, and a moment later, Asahi stepped out of his classroom and walked up as well. Well, there goes the calm that Niko had just barely managed to grasp onto.

The fist on her heart tightening, she shifted away from the three boys slightly. Their eyes followed her movement. The trio stared at her in varying shades of confusion. Niko's hands clenched into fists on the handle of her bag and she averted her gaze from them quickly.

"Not yet. Ah…" When Shimizu trailed off, Niko warily lifted her gaze to meet the girl's. Subsequently, she realized that an important part of her plan had been skipped altogether. Shimizu didn't know her name. She hadn't introduced herself. What the hell was wrong with her?

Immediately, Niko flushed bright red and bowed deeply. In her hurry to find and talk to the manager before their practice started, she'd completely forgotten such a basic thing. Even Tōru never forgot to introduce himself, and he was one of the least formal people she's ever known.

"Kobayashi Niko! I'm so sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier! I was completely focused, and just forgot – I'm sorry!" In a flash, she straightened up and pinned her stare to the locker adjacent to Kiyoko. Absolutely not the way she'd wanted this to go. Niko was not off to a great start.

The redness that had been blooming across her face creeped down Niko's neck. "Kobayashi-san requested my attention. I may be a little late coming to practice, please let Ukai-sensei know." Shimizu's voice cut through her thoughts, and she replied hurriedly.

"I won't keep you long. I just need to," Niko's eyes darted to Asahi briefly, before landing on Shimizu once again, "confirm something. I apologize for keeping your manager from practice!" Whipping around to face the trio of boys, she bowed to them quickly. They were watching her with wide eyes, uncertainty written across their features.

Sugawara recovered first, smiling slowly and shaking his head. "No need to apologize, it's completely alright, Kobayashi-san. Take your time, I'm sure we will be fine for a little while." His hand found the back of his head, rubbing it as he smiled at her kindly.

Swallowing nervously, Niko nodded and shifted her weight to one foot. First, she'd totally forgotten to introduce herself and was too informal, and now she was going overboard in her attempt to make up for it by being too formal. Niko just couldn't win today, it seemed.

To her relief, Shimizu turned and led Niko through the hall after thanking Sugawara. Her shoulders sagged, and she let out a breath she'd been holding for far too long. Behind them, Niko could hear Daichi question the other two about her uniform, followed by a repetition of her name. Whatever the response was, Niko couldn't hear, as Shimizu led her down the stairs to the entrance of the school.

Niko's limbs felt heavy, like they were laden in iron. Every step she took made the fist inside of her chest squeeze, and her breath stuttered through her lungs in short bursts. Lifting one hand to clutch the front of her vest, Niko found that even taking deep breaths did nothing to calm her overly active heart. Cheeks bright red, and eyes firmly planted on the floor, everything else became simple background noise.

Shimizu led her outside, and to a courtyard near the gyms. Small, but secluded from the rest of the school. It was quiet, the bustle of student activity dulled to a bare minimum. "I'm sorry. There's not many places that are particularly secluded here."

Quickly, Niko nodded. "This is fine! Again, I promise not to take too much of your time." The libero said, worrying her lip between her teeth before she took a deep breath. Her eyes flicked around unsurely, before settling on the ground between them.

She could feel heat spreading across her cheeks to her ears. Swallowing, Niko shifted and licked her lips before looking up at Shimizu again. She needed to do this fast, before she lost her courage.

"Has Azumane-san spoken about his soulmate recently?" The words came out in a rush, stumbling into one another as she pushed forward. "Specifically at Interhigh?" The longer she watched Shimizu, the more nervous she became. Taking small steps back, she clasped her hands together in front of her, gaze wavering.

Shimizu stared at her, eyes wide as she processed the girl's words. Niko could pinpoint the moment the puzzle pieces began to fall into place for the manager, as Shimizu's eyes grew focused all of a sudden. The manager took a step towards Niko. "Why do you ask?" Swallowing again, Niko took another step back and her gaze fell.

"Ah, well, I am a- I play- I'm on the girls' volleyball team at Aoba Johsai and I believe he is my soulmate!" Niko stumbled over her words at first, before she took a deep breath and half-yelled the rest of her sentence. Then she realized what she'd done and bowed again. "I'm sorry. I'm nervous. I-" Licking her lips, she drew in another slow breath as she straightened her back. "My team was there. I was more sensitive that day than any other, and felt marks forming out of nowhere."

Niko's hands moved, gesturing vaguely as she trudged onwards. "I saw the end of your match against Aoba Johsai's boys' team. I, um," Her teeth caught her lower lip, eyes darting around to look anywhere besides the black-haired girl who was staring at her patiently, "every time he received or spiked, I felt it."

Silence stretched between them, and Niko shifted her head to look away from Shimizu. By now, her cheeks, ears, and neck were all on fire. Was combustion by embarassment possible? She heard a soft sigh, and risked a quick glance at the other girl. Shimizu wore a soft smile, all signs of uncertainty in her eyes gone as she looked at Niko.

"He informed our captain and vice-captain about feeling it the evening after the first day of Interhigh. We looked for you – but… You were playing matches as well. Of course we wouldn't have found you." Shimizu observed Niko calmly as the shorter girl relaxed, her shoulders slumping and her posture shifting as she grew slightly more confident.

So Asahi had definitely felt her that day. A silly thing to internally cheer over, since she'd already assumed that… but hearing it… that was a high that Niko didn't think she wanted to come down from just yet. The hand around her heart loosened its grip.

"It was honestly just pure luck that I was able to find him at all. Our first match ended early on the second day, and I'd went to cheer for the boys' team. I didn't even realize it until the very end of the match." Her teeth caught her lower lip again, and she frowned. "I didn't think-" Cutting herself off, Niko took a deep breath, "It wouldn't have been fair on him if I'd introduced myself then. It's, um, why I came to find you now. I don't think I could've simply approached him outright, even today. It feels like, um…"

She flushed again, a nervous laugh escaping her lips. "It kind of felt like I was stalking you all, because I tried to find out as much information as possible. I didn't want him to be, um, uncomfortable." Soft laughter followed her statement, and Niko looked up at Shimizu with wide eyes. The black-haired girl grinned at her, nodding in acknowledgment.

"I understand. You could've approached him, but if you're more comfortable with this approach, that's fine." Slowly, Niko let a small smile curl her lips up. Talking to the manager had been a lot easier than she assumed it would be. The hand in her chest pulled back completely. "Would you like to meet him today?"

And the blush returned. This time, from excitement mostly. She'd be hard pressed to get rid of it for the time being, it seemed."Oh, um, I'm not sure- is that the best idea?" Shimizu laughed again, smiling at her.

"I think it would be fine. You're not here to spy for your boys' team, correct?" Straightaway, Niko shook her head. "Then it will be okay. You could come watch our practice, and then talk to him afterward?"

A grin curled her lips up, and Niko instantly nodded. "I would love to!" Where nervousness had gripped her violently before, excitement flooded through Niko's veins now. Not only would she be able to watch her soulmate, but she'd be able to watch Karasuno play. She'd been in awe of them during what little time she'd seen them during Interhigh, and wanted to see more.

"Do you want to change out of your uniform?"

"Will it being Aoba Johsai's gym uniform be an issue?" Pursing her lips, Niko shifted a bit, unsure of herself. It was a silly thing to be self-conscious of, but she wanted to be certain. If it was going to make anyone uncomfortable, she'd rather not risk it.

"No, it will be fine. If there's an issue, we can find you something else to wear, I'm sure." Niko's sigh of relief didn't go unnoticed, but Shimizu didn't comment on it. Instead, she shifted her bag on her shoulder, and straightened up. Turning to the changing rooms, the black-haired girl motioned for Niko to follow her.

"Okay! Thank you!" This time when Niko's heart leapt into her throat, it was out of pure excitement. Her skin felt like it was buzzing, and she couldn't hold back the elated grin that formed on her lips.

As they made their way to the girls' changing rooms, both Shimizu and Niko remained unaware of the group of boys that had been watching them from afar.

* * *

A/N: Part one of the three-part operation to 'Find That Soulmate' is complete! This is the longest chapter so far, mostly because I just couldn't stop writing these two nuggets of love... As always, thank you to everyone who has favorited and followed! I appreciate all of your support, and hope that you will continue to follow along :) Please let me know what you think!

A special thanks to bookdragonslayer, a guest, and narutolover10110 for reviewing! I am so happy to hear that you all are enjoying the story!


	6. A Surprising Discovery

Tanaka and Nishinoya stood just outside of the gymnasium doors, staring at the two girls standing under the tree of the nearby courtyard. Both boys were gripping one another's arms as they stared, open-mouthed at the scene unfolding before them. Despite being unable to hear the words exchanged, the duo was beyond excited.

"Do you think she just confessed to Shimizu-senpai?!" Nishinoya yelled once the girls were out of sight, eyes wide with excitement as he turned to look at Tanaka. The wing-spiker grinned and grabbed the libero's shoulders. Tanaka shook Nishinoya rapidly as he nodded his head.

"It looked like she did! And Shimizu led her somewhere – is she going to invite her to our practice? Are they dating now?!" The two of them wore matching grins as they began yelling incoherently to one another. Their teammates glanced over at them with varying levels of curiosity.

"What are you talking about?" Daichi spoke first, coming to stand behind the jumping second years. Their excitement, while infectious, was too much. Whatever they were talking about, he aimed to get to the bottom of. It was too early for their antics.

In tandem, Tanaka and Nishinoya whipped around to face their captain. "A girl just confessed to Shimizu-senpai!" They shouted in sync, clutching each other as more incomprehensible noises spilled from their mouths. Now, the other members of the volleyball team turned to look at the second years in surprise.

It was Ennoshita that stepped forward and spoke up first, his brows furrowed as he frowned at the two. "Are you sure?" Instantly, he was cut off with an overly exuberant, ear-drum-bursting 'YES' from them.

Meanwhile, Suga and Asahi made their way over to their captain and the second years. Daichi exchanged a look with Suga, brows lifting in silent conversation. Slouching next to them, Asahi glanced between the second years and the empty space they were staring at. Daichi gripped the second years' shirts and pulled them back into the gym as Suga voiced his concern.

"Could it have been Kobayashi-san? She's from Aoba Johsai, though-" The rest of whatever Suga had been saying was cut off.

"WAAHHHH SHE CAME ALL THE WAY FROM AOBA JOHSAI TO CONFESS TO SHIMIZU-SENPAI?!" Tanaka yelled as Nishinoya leapt into the air beside him. "They've gotta be dating now!"

Nearby, Tsukishima snorted. "Wouldn't that mean you idiots can't pine after Shimizu-san anymore?" Tanaka spun around, ready to yell at the salty blond. He didn't get far, though. Nishinoya yanked the wing spiker back around and pointed towards the door.

"Sorry I'm late." Shimizu stepped into the gym, her soft voice carrying due to the complete silence that had bloomed inside. Every eye in the room moved to the manager… and then to the blonde girl that was trailing closely behind her.

"AHHH SHE TOTALLY BROUGHT HER, THEY'RE DEFINITELY DAT-" In an instant, Suga's hands connected with Tanaka and Nishinoya's skulls, effectively shutting them up. For now, anyway. Turning back to the two girls, he smiled brightly at them.

"Sorry about them. Are you going to watch our practice, Kobayashi-san?"

Unlike before, when she'd been too nervous to say much of anything to Suga or the other third years, Niko had no qualms in replying now. "Yes! I am!" She said brightly, grinning and nodding up at the kind setter.

Suga laughed, nodding. "Thanks for coming, then. We're happy to have you."

Niko's grin stretched even wider, and she began bouncing up and down. "I am looking forward to watching you all practice! I'm Kobayashi Niko, thank you all for having me!" Her bow was short and borderline informal, but no one seemed to mind. A few feet from her, Nishinoya started at her name, blinking in surprise. It sounded familiar – but he couldn't pinpoint why.

"Thanks for coming, then." Daichi smiled at Niko, before chuckling lightly when the girl turned her brilliant grin on him. She was obviously much more comfortable now than she had been in the hallways before. Her mood was infectious.

Around him, the team echoed the sentiments of thanks slowly, unsurely. Despite welcoming her to watch, no one could pinpoint the reason for her being there. It was one thing for a girl from Karasuno to come watch - and a completely different thing for someone from Aoba Johsai to stop in. Yet, none of them wanted to come out and ask directly. Only Nishinoya and Tanaka were convinced they knew the reasoning, despite the doubts of everyone else.

For now, the boys simply waited to see what the coach said. To their surprise, minus a glance at the girl and a slight nod of greeting to her, Ukai completely ignored Niko. Instead, he barked orders to get started on drills. They were subsequently forced to focus, their attention drawing away from the blonde.

Niko slunk back and crouched down with her back to the wall near the doorway. Out of the way, but able to watch everything closely. Aside from occasional glances thrown her way, the players mostly ignored her presence after that.

Niko folded her hands and let them rest on her knees as her gaze began roaming over the players slowly. The team started out practicing spikes. Within the span of only a few moments, she became completely and utterly engrossed. Her eyes flitted around the court nonstop, her teeth capturing her lower lip as she watched them.

With the team falling into a rhythm quickly, Ukai took a moment to turn and observe Niko. She was so wholly captivated by the boys' practice that the girl didn't even notice his gaze resting on her. Keeping his eyes fixed on Niko, Ukai leaned over and spoke to Shimizu in a low voice.

"Wanna tell me about her?"

Shimizu glanced at the girl in question, lips twitching upwards as she witnessed Niko's complete focus on the boys. Turning her head back to the coach, she replied softly. "She is Azumane-kun's soulmate." The words hit him like a brick, and Ukai recoiled to stare at the blonde girl with wide eyes. That had not been the answer he'd expected.

Shimizu paused for a moment to look at Asahi, watching as he spiked a ball full force. Behind them, Niko was grinning widely. "Kobayashi-chan found out during Interhigh. She told me that she didn't think it would have been fair on him if she'd approached him then." Understanding dawned on the coach.

"That was probably for the best – not telling him that day. She intends to talk to him after practice?" Ukai questioned, looking at Niko once more. When Shimizu nodded, he turned his attention back to the team. "Alright."

When the team began practicing receives, Niko perked up. Sitting up a bit straighter, she leaned forward. Excitement rushed through her. It didn't take long for her to find herself caught between watching Nishinoya and Daichi. The two of them were the ones that really shined when it came to receives.

Eventually, Niko slid down to sit cross-legged on the floor. Drills continued, and she became so absorbed in watching that no sound escaped her. Karasuno was going to be a tough opponent once the team solidified the shaky ground they stood on, Niko realized with a soft grin.

Through all of this, each time Asahi made contact with the ball, Niko felt the sting reflected on her own skin. However, rather than being uncomfortable, the feeling only served to fuel her excitement further. She quickly discovered that it was impossible to decide who she wanted to watch. Her soulmate, Nishinoya, or Daichi. In the end, Niko couldn't keep her eyes still for more than a few moments at a time.

The whistle blew, signalling the end of the drills. Niko leapt up from her position on the floor and bounded over to the coach and Shimizu. "That was awesome!" She clapped her hands together, staring at Ukai with shining eyes. He watched her, a crooked grin forming on his lips. "You are teaching them very well! They're just gonna keep getting better and better!" His brows lifted a bit at her words, but soon Ukai was laughing.

"Thank you, Kobayashi-san. You play volleyball, right? What position?" The boys were gathering around slowly, forming a half-circle around the coach, Shimizu, and Niko. His question made her absolutely light up like a ray of sunshine.

"Yes, I do! I'm the libero for the girls' team at Aoba Johsai!" Niko exclaimed, pride overflowing as she bounced up and down. A few feet away, everything suddenly clicked for Nishinoya. He let out a strangled yell and rushed forward with wide eyes.

"THAT'S HOW I KNOW YOUR NAME!" His sheer volume made her flinch in surprise, and Niko stared at him open-mouthed. Suga was moving forward, reaching for the libero's shirt but Nishinoya was faster. He slid away from his senpai and came to a halt right in front of the girl. He was talking about a kilometer a minute. "You're ranked nationally!" The players around them startled a bit. "You're the number one youth libero! I knew I recognized your name!"

Around them, everyone froze. Eyes slid to the blonde girl, and none of them even bothered to hide their surprise at Nishinoya's words. Even Ukai and Shimizu were staring at her in shock. That hadn't been something that the girl had divulged to Shimizu when they'd spoke earlier. Niko recovered quickly, nodding exuberantly as she beamed at Nishinoya. "Yesss! Well, I mean, there's my male counterpart to think of, but that's-"

"You're better than him!" The younger libero shouted over her. Niko paused for a moment, then suddenly she was laughing. Her head thrown back, the girl clutched her t-shirt in surprise and glee. She absolutely lit up, keeping everyone's attention on her as she tried to fight off her laughter.

There was something about being complimented by another libero of such high caliber that made Niko absolutely delighted. Nishinoya was so genuine, and he was just as energetic as she was. They were going to be friends, Niko decided.

Cheeks flushed with happiness, Niko slowly calmed down and grinned at the slightly taller libero. "I'm happy to hear that you agree with me on that." She said with a wink. His cheeks grew warm. "You're a damn good libero, too. Best in junior high, wasn't it?" Nishinoya's jaw grew slack and he nodded slowly. He didn't expect for her to know who he was.

"I gotta keep track of my competition, you know." Niko teased him lightly, giggling at his starstruck expression. "You're just going to keep improving, so please keep it up!"

A bolt of lightning zipped through him, and suddenly Nishinoya was bouncing in front of her, nodding as he shouted. "Thank you so much!" He reached forward, gripping her hands, head still bobbing up and down. "I still have a lot to learn, but thank you!" Around them, the team was slowly relaxing.

"There's two of him now. How are we supposed to deal with twice as much Nishinoya now?" Kinoshita murmured, staring at the two liberos. Tanaka burst into action. In an instant, he was right next to Nishinoya and grabbing Niko's hand.

"You should practice with us!" That was all he had to say for Nishinoya to climb on board.

"Yes! You should practice with us! You can show us so much!"

"We'll be in your debt!"

"Please, Koba-san! Pleaseeeee!" The hyperactive duo went back and forth before Niko finally laughed and cut in before they could continue.

Shaking her head, she smiled at them. "No, no, I don't think that's the best idea. You all barely know me - I don't want to interfere with your practice. I'm really enjoying watching you all, so I don't mind being on the sidelines!" Niko said brightly, but Nishinoya and Tanaka both deflated. Her gaze moved to Kageyama and Hinata and she grinned. "Plus, I'd love to see the freaky duo's freaky quick up close. I've heard it's killer."

Said freaky duo's cheeks flushed brightly. Kageyama began stuttering and stumbling over his words while Hinata was staring at her wide-eyed. Being complimented by their senpai sent both boys into a state of stupor and excitement. Niko laughed as they stumbled over themselves before thanking her profusely. They were so adorable, she knew she'd have to tease them more in the future.

"Alright, everyone, we should continue practice." Ukai spoke up, eliciting a groan from his libero and over-excited wing spiker. "I know you'd love to see Kobayashi-san in action, but tonight's not the best night. Maybe in the future." The cheers drowned out the rest of his words. All Nishinoya and Tanaka cared about was 'in the future', and that was enough for them to celebrate the fact that she could come back to practice another time. The maybe part didn't matter to them.

Clearing his throat, Ukai gave the second years a pointed look. They calmed down somewhat quickly, and he smirked. "For now, let's continue to do our best during our practice. I'm gonna separate you all into two teams for a mock match. Third years against the first years. Second years will be split into both teams. I want to see how much you guys have improved since last time we pit you against one another."

Ukai was quick to form the teams, sorting the players and pushing yellow or red pinnies into their hands. Niko stood by, watching silently as the boys all prepared to start their practice match. "Good luck!" She called out to them without specifying anyone - she was wishing them all well. "I'm excited to see you all play!"

After a round of thanks from the team, everyone fell into light chatter. The third years stood in yellow pinnies with their second year teammates - Nishinoya, Kinoshita, and Ennoshita. Tanaka and Narita stood with the first years, red pinnies covering their t-shirts. Niko started to move back to the wall, but Ukai called her over. Trotting over to him, she looked up expectantly.

"You don't have to sit back there. I'm sure they'd love to hear what you think afterwards." She was only too happy to accept the proposition. Although she expected he hadn't done it for the reasons he stated, Niko didn't press the issue. She wasn't going to complain about the chance to see them up close.

As everyone settled into their positions on either side of the court, Niko pulled her lower lip through her teeth in anticipation. The whistle blew, and the first serve went up in the air from Ennoshita. It was a good serve - and well-aimed, too. Yamaguchi received it shakily, but it was followed through by Narita.

Niko focused more on how the boys received the balls more than anything. How their knees bent, their bodies leaned forward, arms stretching out in front of them - everything. She watched it all, taking in who was good at receiving, and who still needed work.

Distantly, she was aware of how her skin reddened and stung in tandem with Asahi's spikes and receives. It made her heart leap against her ribcage every time. She found herself looking at him more often than anyone else, despite her best efforts otherwise. It was her eyes were drawn to him magnetically.

Shaking her head, Niko fixed her attention on Daichi as he received one of Tsukishima's spikes. "A bit unfair to put Sawamura-san and Nishinoya-kun on the same team, wasn't it?" Her grin caught Ukai by surprise as he looked at her. He reciprocated the action, laughing.

"You noticed?"

"Of course. Sawamura-san is one hell of a defensive player. Between him and Nishinoya-kun the poor first years can barely score more than one point in a row." She was giggling, shaking her head in amusement. Beside her, Ukai simply grinned and shrugged.

"Can't let the first years have it easy." Ukai said, and Niko threw her head back and laughed again. At least it would be a learning experience for them.

It was. The third year team won both sets, proverbially wiping the floor with their kouhais. Despite the valiant effort the first years put in, there were simply too many gaps in their skill sets right now. All of the first years needed to work on their receives, which was the first thing that Niko pointed out to Ukai. They were shaky at best. He was fast to agree.

The quick, though - that had absolutely fascinated her the first time Kageyama and Hinata did it. The second time she was in awe. By the time they'd done it thrice, she was bouncing up and down excitedly. Receiving that would be tricky, and oh how she wanted to try. It didn't seem like it was even that powerful. Extremely fast and hard to follow, yes. Powerful, no.

As everyone meandered off of the court and towards the coach, Niko stood beside him fidgeting. It was clear that she was barely holding herself back from bursting into shouts of joy and excitement. Ukai watched her for a moment before chuckling and tapping her shoulder lightly. "Go ahead. They'll be happy to hear from you."

That was all it took for her to let loose. "That. Was. Amazing!" She yelled, bounding forward into their midst. "You all are so cool! You've got so much power, and you're so diverse, and oh my god- Nishinoya-kun! You were wonderful. You're so fast! Ahhh your receives! You were all like 'uwaa' and 'woosh' and 'gwaah'! I loved it!" Niko was talking rapidly, and her phrasing made more than a few of them snicker and laugh. Another Nishinoya, indeed. "And Sawamura-san, what the hell!"

Fast as lightning, she whipped around and slid right up to him. He startled a bit, but she gave him no chance to question her. "What the hell are those receives, you absolute beast?! You're like a pillar of defense, I love it!" His cheeks grew warm, and he lifted a hand to the back of his neck to rub it lightly as he thanked her.

Niko was quick to move on the to the next person. One by one, she bounded up to every player and dove into excitable constructive criticisms. Seeing them all play had completely made her night. No one could deny that her advice was sound, and hearing her tell them all how great they were was giving the entire team a pretty severe boost of confidence.

Leaving Asahi for last was a decision that Niko purposely made. Her heart cried out, and all she wanted to do was cling to him and announce their connection… but privacy for that moment would be for the best. So instead, Niko avoided his gaze and skirted around him until he was the only one left.

Asahi had noticed she was avoiding him after she came up to Suga when he'd stood next to him, but had darted away with barely a glance in his direction. His shoulders sagged, anxiety rising in him as he assumed that the much shorter girl was intimidated - as far too many were. He voiced these concerns to Suga unsurely, lips tilting down in a frown.

The setter was talking him through it, reassuring their ace when Niko finally came to a halt in front of them. Suga immediately quieted, and Asahi alternated between looking at the girl and letting his eyes dart to every other possible location. Niko took a deep breath in and then suddenly reached forward and grabbed his arm.

"You!" Niko shouted, shaking his arm up and down in her excitement. He was blushing brightly, fumbling over words as she continued talking. "Hell yes you're the ace! You freaking beast! Your spikes were so powerful - you're so cool!" It'd taken everything in her to say that and only that.

His arm was warm in her hands, and her skin was buzzing. Heat crept up her neck, but she forced herself to focus. The fire that was billowing inside of her needed to calm down before she did something rash - like leaping into his arms and clinging to him like she really, really, really wanted to.

Asahi stared at her, mouth hanging open. That had… not been what he'd expected to hear. His cheeks grew red. Daichi came up, a grin forming as Suga took action quickly. The vice-captain lifted his arm and swung the side of his palm at Asahi's side. Suga's hand connected with Asahi's waist in a swift chop. The soft-hearted ace instantly flinched and his body jerked in response as he let out a surprised groan.

What no one had been expecting was for Niko to flinch and yelp in tandem with the ace, hand flying to her side. The entire gym went dead silent. Immediately, her skin flushed and she took a step back. Her hands moved to press against her cheeks and mouth. Everyone was staring right at her. Including Asahi.

This was absolutely not the way she'd imagined it going. She'd planned to approach him after practice ended. In privacy. So they could talk. This was… Niko felt her skin warming. This was unexpected.

"You- You're- Are- sou-" Asahi was stumbling over his words, unable to get them out. His face was a canvas of every shade of red. Fitting, as hers was too. Both of their mouths were opening and closing as they fought through the surprise, unsure of what to say. No one else dared to say a word. After what seemed like forever, Niko finally sucked in a deep breath and swallowed thickly.

A swift nod, and she began wringing her hands as she spoke. "Ah, yes, um." Her eyes darted around briefly before she forced herself to look at him again. "We're, um, soulmates…?" Although she'd intended it as a statement, Niko's words came out as more of a question. Around them, the rest of the team burst into noise.

* * *

A/N: Ahh, this chapter was so fun to write. Tanaka and Nishinoya give me life, and their dramatics are so much fun :p As always, thank you to everyone who has followed and favorited!

Lynnyfox - Haha, sorry that I kept you up :p but I'm so happy to hear that you are enjoying Niko and Asahi's story! Thank you so much for your continued support!

SkyGodSlayer - I would apologize for leaving you all on a cliffhanger, but.. it was kind of fun to do ;p Thank you so much for your support! I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

chibi-no-baka - Ahhh, I know right! I think their meeting was about as smooth as it could be, for the crow family anyway hahaha Nervous little Asahi is honestly my favorite, he's so perfect. Thank you so much for your support! :)

narutolover10110 - I'm so happy to hear that you like it! Their meeting was so much fun to write, honestly! Thank you for your support! :D


	7. Operation: Complete!

It was like someone had reached into his chest and was shaking his heart and lungs violently. Asahi couldn't breathe. He was staring right at her, brown orbs meeting vibrant green. His silence hung in the air, and he knew he needed to say something - anything. He couldn't find the words. In some distant part of his mind, everything made sense. Why she was there - why she'd spoken to Shimizu.

Yet the realization that this was - that she was his soulmate… it left him in a daze. He could tell she was getting worried, the longer he stayed silent. He needed to say something. Anything. Anything at all. What could he say?

"I'm… um…. I'm Azumane Asahi. Nice to, uh, eat- I mean, nice to meet you!…?"

A beat of silence, then he could hear stifled laughter of his teammates around him. He couldn't possibly be more embarrassed than he was in that instant. How stupid could he be? She'd just told him that they were soulmates - and he'd seen the proof in her reaction to Suga's blow - yet the first thing he does is introduce himself? And then he even flubs that. What kind of idiot-

She was laughing. The blonde girl was standing in front of him, head thrown back in absolute delight. It was infectious, and even Asahi couldn't help the way a slow and unsure smile spread across his lips. She was gripping her sides, and he could tell she was trying desperately to get her giggling under control.

"Hi," Niko bit her lip, choking back another laugh, "Azumane-kun." His heart skipped a beat and butterflies erupted in his stomach at the way she said his name. "I'm Kobayashi Niko. Nice to meet you, too."

He was silent again. Watching the way her lips curled up in a crooked smile before breaking out into a wide grin that made the corners of her eyes crinkle up. Listening to her broken laughter as she tried to reign herself in.

Nearby, Daichi, Suga, and Kiyoko glanced between one another. Kiyoko covered her mouth as she laughed softly. "She was going to tell him after practice. That's why she's here."

Daichi covered up his laugh with a cough, looking at his vice-captain with an ever-widening grin."Nice going, Kōshi." The grey-haired male immediately flushed a bit, his hand finding the back of his neck.

"Oops." The simple half-hearted statement was enough to make the players closest to them snort and try to cover up their laughter. "Well," Straightening up, Suga reached up and gripped Asahi's shoulder suddenly. As the ace looked at him in a daze, the setter gave him a wry grin. "I think we can all agree that you're exempt from clean-up tonight. Use your time wisely."

Suga pushed him forward, and Daichi motioned for him to go. Asahi sent them both an appreciative smile before turning back to Niko-

Niko, who was suddenly extremely close to him. Only centimeters between them, her head was tilted back as she looked up at him. From this distance, he could see the spattering of freckles on her nose and the way there was a ring of forest green around her sea-green irises. Spluttering, he took a step back.

While her cheeks were still warm, Niko couldn't help the way she smiled at his reaction. Reaching forward, she grasped Asahi's hand lightly. "Maybe we could go talk outside?" Her eyes met his again, and he nodded dumbly. That was all it took for her to grin brightly at him and turn towards the doors. She led him from the gymnasium silently. He followed behind her, a smile slowly curling his lips upwards as it began to sink in.

Once they were outside, Karasuno's team burst into noise. Mostly consisting of Nishinoya and Tanaka. "SHE'S ASAHI'S SOULMATE?"

"I THOUGHT SHE WAS-"

"Stop yelling!" Suga's hand connected with their heads again. The silence was momentary.

"I thought she was dating Shimizu-senpai!" Said girl stopped and stared at Tanaka as he said this. His cheeks glowed red. "I mean-um- it looked like she was confessing to you out there earlier!"

"No, she was just talking to me about Azumane-kun. It's why I brought her with me to practice."

And just like that, she walked away. The boys were left shouting and arguing about the new development with Asahi's soulmate. A few harsh warnings from Daichi ensured that no one disturbed the ace and Niko while they were talking. It left the second years disappointed, but no one was brave enough to defy their captain.

* * *

At first, neither Niko nor Asahi spoke. For Niko, the fact that they were completely alone made her a bit nervous - because she wanted to make a good impression on him, and didn't want to mess up. Asahi was in a similar boat, trying to build up the courage to talk to her.

The two of them meandered through the school grounds aimlessly, walking almost a meter apart. Finally, after building herself up internally and giving herself pep talk after pep talk in her head, Niko shuffled over closer to Asahi. "So," She started softly, looking up at him from the corner of her eye, "tell me everything. I want to know you."

When he began talking, after some brief hesitation, Niko kept her attention on him. His eyes darted back and forth between the path they were walking and her, but he was never able to keep his eyes on her for long. Every time he looked at her, she was staring up at him with the biggest smile on her face, and it made his breath hitch and his heart beat wildly in his chest.

Asahi told her everything he could think of, ranging from his birthday to his favorite food and hobbies. He explained how he'd been playing volleyball since junior high and that he'd always been a wing spiker. That he'd met Suga and Daichi in his first year, and that they all dreamed of taking Karasuno back to nationals.

The more he spoke, the less hesitation there was in his voice. He fed off of her curiosity, his voice growing stronger and his breath steadying as they walked. Stories from junior high, and then high school, kept her entertained. Every time she laughed, Asahi was pulled in by her radiance and found himself chuckling alongside her.

When he reached a lull in his storytelling, Asahi glanced over at her and immediately flushed. Niko was staring straight at him. Her sea-colored eyes were wide, her lips curled up in a crooked smile. Silence stretched between them. Then suddenly, he looked away and reached up to rub the back of his head. "Ah, but… Um, tell me… about you?" He murmured, cheeks growing warm once again as he trailed off lamely.

Niko was basking in the warmth that Asahi radiated. He was so shy, and unsure of himself, but an absolute sweetheart. It wasn't hard to tell that he cared for his teammates very much. They were like a second family to him. Each story about them was told with such adoration and fondness that at times it almost felt like she was hearing intimate secrets.

The fact that he wanted to tell her those things made the butterflies in her stomach throw a wild party. Her hands were clammy with excitement, and if they hadn't been walking, Niko knew she'd be fidgeting in some way. When he turned his attention to her, she realized she'd been staring a little too intensely, and shifted her gaze away just as he looked to the ground.

His voice wavered a bit as he spoke, but his words brought a smile to her face anyway. "Let's see… My birthday is just a few days after yours!" Niko exclaimed, bouncing right back from her embarrassment moments before. She nudged him with her elbow lightly, and grinned up at him. "The fifth of January! My favorite food is rice pudding - and I make a killer version, so I'm definitely going to have you and your team try it at some point!"

Niko was quick to delve into her own life, no ounce of reservation in her as she bounced from one topic to the next. Where Asahi had been unsure of himself, she left no room for timidity as she spoke. He began asking questions and indulging her own curious nature by answering hers. The two of them went back and forth, flitting between subjects endlessly.

When they somehow managed to circle back to the gym, the duo paused a few feet from the door. As they turned towards one another, a bright grin met a slow smile. "We should probably go in and get our clothes so we can change. I still need to head back to the train station before it gets too late." Niko said, her eyes meeting his.

"I'll… Can I walk you to the station?" Only a momentary slip-up, a blip of hesitation. Niko caught onto the fact that he was speaking slightly more confidently now, and she was giddy at the realization.

"I'd really like you to." She was quick to agree, her head bobbing up and down. After a brief pause, Asahi nodded as well and smiled. "I'll meet you back out here after we change!"

"Okay."

Like a bolt of lightning, she zoomed into the gymnasium. The group of players that had been clinging to the windows scattered as the door burst open, all of them trying desperately to appear as though they hadn't just been eavesdropping on the two of them. In the back of her head, she made a note to tease them about their spying later.

It took a matter of moments for Niko to retrieve her bag and dash back to the door. She jolted when she was halfway outside, and suddenly skidded to a halt and looked over her shoulder at the Karasuno players. "It was great meeting you all! I hope to see you all soon!" Just like that, she turned and bolted in the direction of the girls' locker room.

Everyone was quick to focus their attention on the ace when he came inside. Several shouts of his name echoed in the gymnasium, and he hesitated as he walked towards his bag. He wasn't sure if he should stop and talk to them or…

Luckily, due to the quick deflection of Mama Suga and Dada Daichi, the first and second years were fended off long enough for him to get his bag and leave for the changing rooms as well. The disappointed yells of his kouhais followed Asahi as he bid them all goodbye, but he was shooed out of the gymnasium quickly.

Asahi was quick to rush through changing, pulling off and yanking on his clothes haphazardly in his eagerness to go back outside to talk to Niko. His hands were shaking the entire time, both from excitement and nerves. His heart was playing a wild rhythm against his ribs, and he had to take a moment to calm himself down before he exited the changing rooms.

He met up with her a short distance from the gym, an unsure smile spreading across his lips as he halted about half a meter from her. If he'd been bothering to pay attention to his surroundings, he'd have seen quite a few prying faces peeking out at them from the gymnasium window, but he was too focused on her to notice anything else.

As he was trying to come up with something to say, Asahi watched as Niko began digging through her bag. In a flash, she pulled her phone from its depths and shoved it in his hands after unlocking it. "Give me your number so we can text and call. Please?"

Asahi blinked, momentarily stunned. Then his cheeks grew warm, and he nodded, pulling open her contacts and adding his number. "Okay." He said before handing her phone back. The brush of her fingers against his palm sent electricity zipping through his veins. Niko typed something in it before shoving it into her bag. He felt his pocket vibrate, and realized that she'd texted him.

This time when they began walking together, Niko was close enough that her arm brushed his every now and then - which made Asahi's mind go fuzzy and his face grow warmer and warmer. Even as his teammates called out to him, he barely registered their words, and didn't even manage a response. With his soulmate beside him, Asahi found himself unable to concentrate on anything else.

Again, as Asahi walked alongside Niko, he found himself being pulled in by her openness and warmth. She had no qualms about asking questions or bouncing between topics of conversation, and never once tried to fill the silence when he hesitated on an answer. Instead, every time, she gave him the chance to speak, and only once he was completely finished did she say anything.

For Asahi, she was like a breath of fresh air. Her confidence gave him something to lean on, and his nerves slowly ebbed away. Every brush of her hand against his still jolted his entire body, and made his mind go blank, and each time his eyes met hers, Asahi felt his heartbeat stutter in his chest. Yet, his voice steadied and he spoke with less stuttering over time.

When they walking into the train station, Asahi realized that time had positively flew by. It wasn't a short walk by any means, but it felt like barely five minutes had passed. A ping of disappointment raced through him at the realization that she would be leaving so soon. Niko turned to him, a small smile curling the corners of her lips up.

"Thank you for walking me here, Azumane-kun." Her eyes met his, and Asahi swallowed thickly, nodding rapidly. His skin flushed, and he found himself rubbing the back of his head.

"Asahi." He blurted out, before balking and rewinding. "Ah. I mean. You're welcome. But call me Asahi. Please." Asahi felt like his whole body was on fire. He'd meant for that to come out a lot less awkwardly than it had. They were soulmates, though, so he wanted her to call him by his first name. Plus, if he was honest, he wanted to hear how his name sounded from her lips.

Her giggling made him refocus, and he hesitantly brought his eyes up to hers once again. "Very well, Asahi." His heart leapt against his ribs, thundering in his chest. He could listen to her say his name all day. "But only if you call me Niko." The twinkle in her eyes gave him no room to say no.

A quick nod affirmed this. "Okay… Niko." Her cheeks grew warm, but she held his gaze. "I'm sorry for keeping you so long today, um…"

"Don't apologize! I wouldn't have stayed so late if I didn't want to. I hope you feel the same." Niko waited for a short nod from him. "Good! I'll text you when I get home, then?" She said hopefully, watching him closely.

Asahi couldn't help the way his face split into a soft grin at the prospect. "Yes, please."

* * *

Her heart was going to leap right out of her chest, Niko was sure of it. Asahi's grin was absolutely heart-stopping. What the hell, doesn't he know how dangerous that grin of his is? Then again, what she wouldn't give to be able to see that all the time. Every day-

She fumbled through her bag, pulling out her phone and opening the camera in mere seconds. Before Asahi knew what she was doing, she'd taken a photo of him. His grin faltered a bit, his eyes widening as he stuttered.

Looking up at him, Niko bit her lower lip lightly before shrugging nonchalantly. "I needed a picture for your contact info. You can take one of me." She giggled, grinning cheekily. As he continued to stumble over his words, she laughed and patted his arm. "I'll send you one tonight, then. Come here for a moment, please?"

Beckoning him to lean down, Niko had to take a deep breath to calm her nerves. Asahi bent forward slowly, unsure of her intentions. His mind ground to a halt when she leaned forward, gripping the front of his jacket lightly. He was vaguely aware of the train pulling up and passengers spilling off of it.

Electricity shot through both of them as Niko's lips landed on Asahi's cheek. Just as fast as she pressed her lips to his skin, she pulled back. The tips of her ears were burning. "I really enjoyed talking to you - I hope we can do it again soon. Thank you again for walking me here! Bye for now, Asahi!"

The ace was still leaning over, eyes wide and his face every shade of red imaginable when the train doors closed. Slowly, he brought a hand to his cheek where her lips had been. He began trekking back out of the station hazily. A grin curling his lips up, stretching across his face slowly as he went over the action in his head repeatedly.

On the train, Niko was quick to slide into a seat and clutch the front of her vest. Her whole body felt like it was on fire, and she found herself pressing her hand to her lips. She couldn't believe she'd just done that. Scratch that - she couldn't believe she'd just done that and hadn't immediately exploded from some combination of excitement and embarrassment. Yet as the train lurched forward, the smile that spread across her face was unstoppable.

When she got home, Niko had to fend off her parents' questioning of her whereabouts but managed to convince them that she was safe, and that she'd tell them everything tomorrow. They let her off the hook with a suspicious warning that they'd better get all of the details or else. Somehow, Niko knew that the 'or else' involved her best friends torturing her for information.

Only after promising multiple times to tell her parents everything did Niko finally get released from their overprotective clutches and sent on her way with a plate of food they'd saved for her. She bid them goodnight and kissed them both on the cheek before dashing up the stairs two at a time.

Niko spent the evening texting Asahi, only pausing long enough to take a shower and return to bed. WIth her hair falling in dark waves around her shoulders, and no makeup on her face, she took a quick picture and sent it to him before she could overthink it and back out.

When he received a photo of her with damp hair, a grin on her lips and fingers up in the peace sign, Asahi swore his heart stopped. He was quick to save the picture, ignoring the way his stomach was doing cartwheels.

They both fell asleep with their phones next to them, texts lighting up their screens and smiles on their lips. If asked, both would tell anyone that it was the best night's sleep they'd ever gotten.

* * *

A/N: This chapter was fun to write - nervous Asahi fumbling over himself so much and their first interactions as soulmates - it is definitely one of the more cutesy chapters! As always, thank you to everyone who is following along or otherwise supporting the story! I appreciate you all! :)

Guest: Haha, it was a long time coming! Tanaka and Nishinoya are definitely always over the top in their excitement about everything :p

chibi-no-baka: Thank you so much! You'll definitely get to see her interacting with some of the other schools in the future, and making friends with more of the little crows :D

animefreak112097: Thank you! Ahaha, now we get to see nervous Asahi trying to make a good impression and being adorable :p

narutolover10110: Ahhh, I'm so glad to hear that! These two are so cute, I love writing them, so I'm so happy to hear that you're enjoying their story! :D


	8. Goblin Queen

At lunch the following day, Niko sat outside with other girls from the volleyball team. Her bento had already been devoured within the first few minutes, and now the box sat empty beside her. For the fifth time within the past five minutes, she pulled her phone out and grinned while tapping out a message.

"Ne, Niko, what's with your sudden obsession with your phone?" Fujimoto Michi, the third year wing spiker on their team, stretched out her leg and nudged Niko with her foot.

"I bet it's a hot guy. That grin, and how fast she's texting?" Another girl laughed as she nudged the libero as well. Abe Nanami was a second year, but someone that Niko absolutely adored. She was hilarious. "So spill. What's his name?"

Biting her lower lip, Niko grinned at her friends. As she opened her mouth to reply, hands gripped her upper arms and pulled her straight up. One second later, she was thrown over her assailant's back. "Noooo, Haji, you demon!"

"Shut up, you're coming with me." Hajime threw his jacket across her backside, covering her skirt. "Gonna borrow her for a bit." Around them, the girls were cracking up, laughing and calling out to Niko and Hajime.

"Eyy, get you some, Iwaizumi-san!"

"Please bring her back in one piece!"

"How gentlemanly, can you do that to me next? I promise I won't fight it!" Nanami yelled to him, but Hajime dutifully ignored her and whipped around, walking away with his arm firmly around Niko's waist to keep her in place on his shoulder.

Not one to be bested, Niko grinned and blew a kiss to the girls. "I'll tell you about it later! And keep it up, Nanami! He can't focus on me if you make him blush!" A harsh slap to the back of her calf made Niko yelp. "Owww, you demon. What is wrong with you?" She didn't get a reply other than a grunt.

As she was carried back into the school, Niko pressed her elbows to Hajime's back and simply stared back at the students that gawked at them. Blowing kisses to them here and there, she was enjoying the surprised reactions from nearly everyone. Whispers followed them, but that only served to make the girl laugh.

"What do we have here? Chibi and the beast?" Tōru came up alongside Hajime, grinning at Niko when she stuck her tongue out at him. Hajime turned to look at Tōru, eyes narrowed with a dangerous glint. The setter put his hands in the air, smiling innocently. "Nice job catching the troll, Iwa-chan."

A sigh escaped her lips, and Niko reached out to grab Tōru's arm. Squeezing it, she turned her pointed stare on him. "Say that again. I'll rip your arm off. I'd like to see you serve or set without it." He turned to look at her, lips curling into a pout.

"That's too mean, Chibi-chan!" He pried her fingers off of his arm before taking a pointed step away from her. Moments later, Tōru grinned widely and ushered Hajime into an empty classroom, sliding the door shut as he stepped in behind them. "Now onto more important business."

Tōru's voice dipped, and Niko pouted. He was getting serious. A few seconds later, Hajime shifted his arm and gripped her waist with both hands again. He picked her up and set her down, stepping back to cross his arms over his chest and stare at her once she was standing on her own two feet. His brows were raised and he gave her a pointed look. "Out with it, goblin."

Ahh, of course. Niko had suspected this was the reason behind her capture and 'kidnapping' from lunch. "First you act like a kicked puppy after Interhigh and wouldn't tell us anything, then you come in today and it's like you're the happiest person in the world and obsessed with your phone." Tōru was quick to butt in, watching her with narrowed eyes.

Both of them stood, blocking the route to the door as they stared her down. Tōru's hands settled on his waist, and he surprisingly remained silent as he and Hajime waited for a response. Niko should've known they'd back her into a corner after the suspicious looks they kept giving her on the way to school this morning. Maybe she should've at least tried to act normal...

Licking her lips, Niko looked up at her best friends with a sly grin slowly curling her lips up. "I found him. I met him yesterday." There was a beat of silence before Tōru let out a strangled sound and rushed forward. He grabbed her arms, shaking her back and forth.

"You met him without us?! What if he was a creep-"

"You've met him before." Niko cut in before he could really get started. "He's from Karasuno." Her lips curved into a devious grin as she watched his eyes go wide. Hajime stood still, watching her silently. A smirk replaced the look from earlier as he watched their friend freak out over the new information. Tōru was beyond appalled. Out of all of the schools her soulmate had to attend, it just _had_ to be _that_ one.

"WHAT- What the hell, why does your soulmate have to be from Karasuno? You- you- damnit! Please tell me it's not Tobio-chan at least, or Shrimpy. Or Mr. Refreshing. Or-" Reaching up, Niko covered his mouth with her hand, shaking her head as she laughed. Leave it to him to jump to conclusions.

"Obviously it's not Kageyama-kun – I've been around him before, dumbass. And no, it's none of the above. I'll give you a hint. Tall, strong, and handsome." Tōru's eyes narrowed and he glared at her, swiping her hand away from his mouth. He opened his mouth to retort, but Niko cut him off again. "I'm messing with you. He is all of the above, but to be specific… The glorious ace himself, Azumane Asahi."

Tōru simply stared open-mouthed at her. Hajime was a bit surprised, but he got over it quickly enough and chuckled lowly. "Of course it had to be the ace. You're not satisfied with me, I get it." He walked forward and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Hajime ruffled Niko's hair as she squealed and tried to squirm away from him. She pushed against his side, but it was a futile effort on her part. Hajime was much, much stronger than her. "You should've at least told us where you were going, though."

"Stoopppp, ahh, I hate you so much! I already prefer him over you, you ogre!" Niko exclaimed between bouts of giggles, pushing against his chest and ducking to get out of his range as soon as his arm loosened a fraction. "If I'd brought either of you along, you'd have scared him off!" Her luck had run out, though, because as soon as she was free from Hajime's grip, another pair of arms wrapped around her middle. Tōru rested his chin on her shoulder, whining softly as he pouted and pulled her against his chest.

"Out of all the places you go to find a soulmate, you go to them. It's like you've yanked my heart out just to stomp on it, Chibi-chan." He huffed, staring at her with wide, faux-hurt eyes. "We wouldn't have scared anyone away...Probably." Niko pushed him off of her and backed away from the duo. Hands extended towards them as if to ward them off, she watched them with twinkling eyes.

"You're both just jealous that I found my soulmate first. And he's pretty fucking hot, too, unlike you shitcakes." Jumping backwards, the libero let out a yelp when Hajime swiped at her, trying to grab her hair again no doubt.

Niko was like a cat, nimbly leaping and rolling out of the way of their grasps before scrambling across the floor and sliding the door open. She began running full-pelt away from them. Their shouts echoed behind her, but she didn't relent in her pace until her feet hit the grass outside.

Cheering in victory, Niko rested for a moment before jogging around to another entrance and going back inside. She'd be safe from them for the most part until after school – and if she rushed into practice, she could avoid them even after that. As she trekked through the halls, her phone vibrated in her bag, signaling a message.

 **Haji-Paji**

 _12:27_

 _You. Me. Behind Gym 2 after school. Gonna kick your ass ;)_

 **Niko**

 _12:28_

 _Don't threaten me with a good time. Only ass that's gonna be kicked is yours :/_

 **Trashykawa**

 _12:28_

 _2v1, ur luck's run out_

 _Stop changing my name u idiots_

 _Trashykawa has changed his name to 'Tōru '_

 **Niko**

 _12:29_

 _Stop being trashy, then_

 _Niko has changed Tōru 's name to 'Trashykawa'_

 **Haji-Paji**

 _12:29_

 _What she said_

 _btw if you ever pull a stunt like that again, I'll kill you myself_

 _Haji-Paji has changed Niko's name to 'Goblin Queen'_

 **Goblin Queen**

 _12:30_

 _You will die_

 _Shut uppppp. All I did was go meet the sweetest person on the planet :)_

 **Haji-Paji**

 _12:30_

 _Sometime in the next hundred years, yeah._

 _Without telling anyone. In a place you've never been. Alone._

 _10/10 great idea_

 **Trashykawa**

 _12:31_

 _Iwa-chan, ur supposed 2 b on my side!_

 _ok I feel better now bc of her name_

 _wut he said. wat if u got hurt?_

 _Ur mom wud kill us_

 **Goblin Queen**

 _12:32_

 _lesbehonest, Haji's on his own side._

 _Fuck you Haji_

 _Ughhh fine, fine._

 _I'm sorry, I won't do it again._

 **Haji-Paji**

 _12:33_

 _Not in your lifetime_

 _You have goatee ace for that now_

 _You're damn straight you won't._

 **Trashykawa**

 _12:33_

 _Tru_

 _Also tru_

 _Good :)_

 **Goblin Queen**

 _12:34_

 _Wasn't an offer, sorry you're so desperate you saw it as one :/_

 _I do know someone you could use tho… ;)_

 **Trashykawa**

 _12:34_

 _lol there's sum1 wllng 2 let Iwa-chan near them?_

 **Goblin Queen**

 _12:35_

 _Ahahaha, I know, right?_

 _You gonna take that lying down, Haji?_

 **Haji-Paji**

 _12:35_

 _you're both idiots_

 _Dumbass, shittykawa, better than having airheads following me around all day_

 **Trashykawa**

 _12:36_

 _Don't b mean Iwa-chan_

 _do u have goatee's #_

 **Goblin Queen**

 _12:37_

 _Why_

 **Haji-Paji**

 _12:37_

 _Answer the question._

 **Goblin Queen**

 _12:38_

 _Yes. No you aren't getting it._

 **Haji-Paji**

 _12:38_

 _lol you've made a mistake_

 **Trashykawa**

 _12:39_

 _:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)_

 _;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)_

 **Goblin Queen**

 _12:40_

 _Over my dead body_

Niko closed the group chat, her lips pursed as she contemplated whether or not to warn her soulmate of the impending doom. All she had to do was keep her phone out of the demon duo's grubby hands, and she wouldn't have to worry about anything. She worried her lower lip between her teeth for a moment before huffing and opening her messages with Asahi. Better to be safe than sorry.

 **Niko**

 _12:44_

 _Ummm_

 _So I told you about my best friends being idiots, right?_

She waited, foot tapping the ground nervously. He didn't answer immediately, but Niko knew he usually ate lunch with Sugawara and Daichi, so after her extended silence he probably put his phone away to socialize with his friends. That did nothing to help her nerves, though. When her phone buzzed again, she wasted no time in reading over his reply and typing out a message in return.

 **Asahi**

 _12:48_

 _Yeah. Why?_

 **Niko**

 _12:49_

 _They're threatening to attempt phone theft. So IF they're successful_

 _ignore all strange messages please :(((_

 **Asahi**

 _12:50_

 _Haha, can do._

 _Do I know the phone thieves?_

 _Potential* phone thieves_

Her cheeks warmed a bit. She hadn't mentioned Tōru or Hajime by name – simply that they had been her friends since she was eight, and that they all played volleyball. She had a feeling that Asahi at least suspected it was the two of them, but he hadn't said anything directly. Slowly, she took a deep breath and typed in her reply.

 **Niko**

 _12:53_

 _You do._

 _Oikawa and Iwaizumi._

 _I hope that doesn't make things weird_

 _:/_

At Karasuno, Asahi was seated with Daichi, Suga, Nishinoya, and Tanaka outside as they ate lunch. When he'd first fished his phone out, he'd taken one look at the name on the message and smiled – earning a little teasing from his companions. Now, as he read her most recent message, the corners of his lips twitched up a bit and he laughed. Before any of his companions could ask, Asahi looked up and told them what she'd said.

"Niko just confirmed that Oikawa and Iwaizumi are her childhood friends. And that they're trying to steal her phone." He paused, contemplating his response. It wasn't as if he could say that he was surprised to see her confirm it. Suga had brought up the fact that she'd looked close to the two when she was at Interhigh.

That had been an odd conversation. He'd recalled Niko leaning over the railing and calling out to the teams, but he'd been too focused on the match for it to bear any importance to him at the time. Her closeness to the setter and ace had been confirmed again by Yui, when Daichi had informed her of the development this morning. Just as she'd mentioned the previous week when Niko's name had come up, she spoke of the rumors that Oikawa or Iwaizumi were her soulmate - and had told them she was surprised neither of them were.

"We already knew that first bit. Does that bother you?" Suga prompted him, everyone watching him closely. After a moment, Asahi let out a light chuckle and shook his head.

"No, it doesn't. We're gonna beat them at Spring High, so no hard feelings." A grin tugged at his lips, and he quickly tapped out a response. Suga seemed a bit surprised at the answer, but a moment later he covered his mouth as he tried not to laugh. Asahi's growing confidence was something to behold.

 **Asahi**

 _12:55_

 _It doesn't. No hard feelings when we beat them at Spring High, though_

 _:p_

Seated at her desk now, Niko couldn't help the bubble of laughter that escaped her at his cheekiness. He was much more confident over text now than he had been the previous night, and that made her inexplicably happy. It really hadn't taken them long to get comfortable with one another.

 **Niko**

 _12:56_

 _Good. I'll be the one cheering for both teams._

 _Well, if I can, anyway._

 _Gonna win all of my matches for you ;)_

Right after hitting send, she yelped and covered her mouth. "Noooo, oh my gosh, that was too forward-" She whined softly, ears and cheeks burning bright red. A few people looked over at her, but went back to talking amongst themselves a moment later. They brushed it off as the girl's usual antics.

Asahi's whole face flushed at her most recent message, but he couldn't deny that her saying that made something stir in him. He wasn't sure what to call the feeling just yet, but it was definitely a good thing. Building up his own courage, he quickly sent a reply before he could rethink it. He hurriedly pushed his phone back into his pocket afterwards. Of course his blush didn't go unnoticed by his companions, and he was forced to endure quite a bit of light-hearted teasing before they calmed down.

 **Asahi**

 _12:58_

 _You'd better. I'm looking forward to celebrating our teams both winning at spring high :)_

Niko took one look at the message, and hurriedly threw her phone into her bag and shoved it under her chair. Her face was bright red, and she laid her arms on her desk, burying her head in them. Heartbeat pounding wildly in her chest, the girl had to take multiple slow breaths to help calm herself down. Unfortunately for her, fate was not a kind being.

"Taking a nap?" She shot up, glaring at Tōru as he looked down at her with a smile that was easily mistaken for genuine. His bag was slung across his shoulder, half-open and his phone in hand.

"Shut up. Go away." Niko groaned, forehead hitting the desk again. Couldn't whatever deities were above just give her one moment of reprieve? What she wouldn't give to have been put in the same class as Hajime instead right now.

"But I'm in this class, too, Chibi-chan!" Niko remained silent, pointedly ignoring him as he walked past her desk and set his bag on the one behind her. He settled into his seat, watching her closely with a devious grin on his lips. "Hey, Chibi, so you got to watch them practice?" The only answer he received was a half-hearted half-groan, half-grunt. "What'd you think?"

Slowly, she lifted her head and turned in her seat to eye Tōru suspiciously. "Why are you asking?"

He lifted a brow and simply leaned back in his chair. "Oh, come on, I already know everything I need to know about them. I just want to hear what you think." Tōru pressed his elbow to the desk and rested his chin on his hand as he stared at her with a smile.

After a brief pause, Niko relaxed and let a smile turn her lips up just a bit. "They were great! Still learning, but they're so strong. They've definitely improved since Interhigh, and I can tell they're just going to keep getting better." The more she spoke, the less reserved she felt talking about it. "And Tobio-chan? His sets are so good?"

She lifted her hands in the air, as if she was setting a ball. "So ultra-precise, it is so cool. But!" Niko looked at Tōru with a grin. "He's still nowhere near your level, in my opinion." Tōru's mouth opened, his eyes rolling upwards, but Niko didn't let him get a single word out.

"Ah, ah, mister. I'm serious. He's a genius, so obviously he's going to be amazing at what he does, but he still lacks control on serves, and his tosses - while scarily accurate - still need more shaping and practice before he's able to consistently bring out the best in his team." Niko stared at her best friend as she spoke, silently daring him to cut her off and say anything to the contrary. "So don't you dare belittle yourself, trashykawa."

She was well aware of Tōru's insecurities, and where he stood in reference to his belief in himself. The aire of confidence he put on during matches and around his players was one thing, but Niko knew the real him.

The Tōru that spent hours upon hours upon hours practicing, until he busted his own knee because he strained himself too much. The Tōru that constantly compared himself to his kouhai, and had since the day Kageyama began attending the same school as them. The Tōru that worked harder than anyone else to continually improve and get to the point of being the ultimate setter.

It was that version of him that Tōru never showed to anyone else besides Hajime and Niko. And it was them that had to step in and force him to take breaks, and who knew just how truly amazing the setter was. Which is why Niko will never, ever let him make snide remarks or comments about how Kageyama was a genius, so would surely pass him soon or anything like that.

Her intense stare-down of Tōru was cut short by the bell ringing. Narrowing her eyes, she gave him one last glare before smiling brightly and turning around. As class began, Niko began to studiously take notes, losing track of the world around her as she focused solely on the lesson.

It would be that intense focus of hers that would end up being her undoing when it came to the wickedly grinning beast behind her.

* * *

A/N: I'm sorry this one is late! My internet has been off - our router was damaged, and the company couldn't come out until tonight. As always, thank you to everyone who has supported Marks of Life, and I, so far! I appreciate you all! Originally, all of the texts not belonging to Niko were right-aligned, but ff doesn't seem to like that, so they got changed to center as well, to make it easier to distinguish from regular paragraphs :)

chibi-no-baka - Ahaha, they are diligent defenders of Asahi's privacy.. for the time being :p They'll get their teasing in before long as well I'm sure :p I'm glad tohear you liked it! Niko is definitely going to be giving Asahi a bit of the push and shove every now and then - unfortunately for him, she's not easily embarrassed xD

pansyandy - Well I hope you enjoyed her interactions with the two of them this chapter! I wanted to show her relationship with them a bit more, and go into a bit more detail there. They are definitely like big brothers for her!


	9. News to Share

When their last class ended, Niko scooped up her bag and notebook and all but ran out of the classroom. Tōru yelled out for her, but she ignored him entirely and instead disappeared around the corner. When she was no longer within sight of him, Tōru laughed to himself. Her loss, he decided as he stood up.

As he stood up after gathering his stuff, Tōru realized that girls were slowly approaching his desk. Usually, if Niko was around, she was enough to keep the fangirls at bay, but with her disappearance, they came out in full force. Immediately, his lips curled up in a bright smile and he turned to address the slowly growing crowd around him.

Despite his best tries at disengaging with the girls by walking and talking, Tōru failed. He wasn't quick enough. The devil himself appeared in the doorway of his classroom, eyes narrowed dangerously. "Oi, shittykaway, let's go. Now." Looking up at the sound of his voice, Tōru laughed nervously and started apologizing to the girls around him.

Hajime watched for a brief minute, then he lifted up the volleyball in his hand threateningly. In a rush, Tōru apologized and extricated himself from the crowd. "Sorry, sorry, Iwa-chan! I couldn't leave my fans hanging!"

For a moment, all Hajime did was stare at him. Then, he let out a 'tch' and turned around. "Thank them and tell them you have to practice. It's simple. Next time, I'll throw this ball at your face." Unfortunately, Tōru knew it was more than just a simple threat. He'd been on the receiving end of Hajime's style of 'rough caring' more than once.

"That's mean, Iwa-chan! They were giving me gifts." He pouted, whining. All Hajime did was snort in reply, ignoring his theatrics entirely. The duo fell mostly silent as they walked, with Tōru grinning and half-heartedly humming under his breath. When his companion looked over at him suspiciously, Tōru grinned widely and reached into one of his pockets.

With Hajime watching him closely, Tōru pulled a phone from his pocket and dangled it in front of his friend's face. "There was one gift that I got that was veeerrryyy nice." It took his best friend only a moment to recognize the bright green case with a volleyball charm attached to it.

Eyes narrowed, Hajime looked at Tōru incredulously. "You actually managed to swipe it?" Niko was not an easy one to trick. In turn, Tōru laughed and began nodding exuberantly. He was quick to pull the phone back before Hajime could swipe it from him. The action made the ace watch the setter with narrowed eyes.

"It was easy. She was so annoyed, so Chibi focused on the lesson and ignored me completely. Didn't even notice when I pulled her bag out from under her chair and grabbed her phone from it." The laughter that escaped Tōru was more like demonic cackling, Hajime noted with an eye roll. Of course he'd take advantage of her turmoil in order to torment her further. Then again, it wasn't like Hajime wasn't curious about the contents. He just had more decency than the brown-haired setter when it came to respecting someone else's privacy.

Tōru pulled open her text messages, ignoring the pointed look he got from his best friend. The duo began their trek to the changing rooms, Tōru barely paying attention to where they walked as he thumbed through the messages, occasionally commenting or telling Hajime something that was said.

Hajime spared glances at the screen every now and then, but generally only when the captain snorted at something. As they walked into the changing rooms, Tōru slung his bag onto a nearby bench and sat down. His teammates were slowly trickling in, working on getting changed, occasionally shooting glances at him.

 **Niko**

 _15:42_

 _Confidence will only get u so far ;)_

 _U better b rdy 2 eat those wrds_

Hajime walked over, already changed into his gym clothes, and yanked Tōru out of his seat by the back of his shirt. "Oi, you're gonna be late." Peering down at the phone, he snorted and swiped it from his friend's grasp. "She doesn't text like that, shittykawa. He's gonna know it's not her." Tōru leapt up, grabbing at the phone. His attempts at retrieval were thwarted as Hajime simply lifted a brow at him and pulled the phone away from his hands easily.

"Iwa-chan, you're being mean. He told her they're gonna beat us. We can't let that stand!" A few feet away, Matsukawa peered over at him. The other players perked up, turning to look at the duo as well.

"Who?"

"Goatee! Karasuno's ace." A few members shifted in surprise, looking between their captain and one another with furrowed brows. Straightening up, he pulled his shirt off as he continued on. "He's Chibi-chan's soulmate. She's cheating on us with him."

Before he could lament further, a shout outside of the locker room pulled his attention away. The third and second years started grinning and laughing, all except for Tōru. He stared at the door of the locker room for a moment before breaking into a run and sliding around the lockers. Just as he whipped around the next row, he heard her voice.

"Shittykawa, I will murder you. Come here, you little shit. Where is he?!" He didn't need to see his teammates to know they'd sold him out immediately. He raced down the row of lockers, only to skid to a halt and turn around to dash back when she appeared at the end of the row. "Where is it?"

"I don't have it!" He didn't even have to ask what she was referring to. "Chibi-chan, calm down, really this is unnecessary-grk-" The back of his pants were grabbed, and he was forcibly pulled backwards. "Waahhhh, Iwa-chan, help me! Chibi-chan is being mean to me!" She pushed him against the row of lockers, glaring at him with her free hand outstretched, palm open as she waited for him to return her phone.

The snickering of his teammates did little to assure Tōru that anyone was on his side in this - especially as they gathered at the end of the row to watch his turmoil. Even Hajime simply stood at the end of the aisle, hands on his hips as he stared them both down. "Rough him up a little more, he won't be as much of a hassle for me at practice if you do."

"WHAT- Iwa-chan, that's so mean!" Tōru exclaimed, staring hopelessly as his best friend betrayed him to the imp who held him hostage. The little demon-grin that Niko wore sent a chill down his back and he gave in. "Iwa-chan has it! He took it from me!"

Her reaction was instant. Niko's lips curled up into a bright smile, and she moved her hand forward to pat him on the cheek. "Terrific! I'll be nice to you this time." Releasing him, she trotted over to Hajime, holding out her hand with an expectant little grin. As the phone was deposited, she pulled him down and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Haji! You're the best. Promise I'll rough him up for you next time."

As quickly as she came, she disappeared once again. In her wake, the first years were left in a jumble of confusion and embarrassment. She'd just walked in on them while they were in varying levels of nakedness, and hadn't even batted an eye. "You'll get used to it. Maybe. She has no shame." Matsukawa said simply, shrugging as he tugged on his volleyball shoes. That really didn't help the first years, but they slowly nodded and accepted the explanation for the time being.

"So what was that about Karasuno's ace being her soulmate?" Hanamaki asked Hajime, looking down at him with a raised brow. Tōru sighed a breath of relief and walked back to his clothes to finish dressing. He'd let their ace explain.

Letting out a low grunt, Hajime turned and walked back to his bag to lift it up to his shoulder. "Exactly what it sounds like. The little idiot went to Karasuno yesterday to meet him without saying anything to anyone." His lips were turned down in a frown as he spoke.

"Isn't she old enough-" The death glare Hajime threw at Kyōtani shut the wing spiker up in an instant. Mattsukawa and Hanamaki snorted, and tried to hold back their laughter - earning them a glare from the foul-mouthed blond, which they ignored.

It was, surprisingly, Tōru that spoke up first. "We've known her as long as we've known each other. She should've told us." Even Tōru couldn't help the way he frowned as he spoke. That had bothered both of them, when they first learned of her trek to the school the previous day. Anything could've happened, and if she'd just told one of them they'd have gone with her.

Not that Tōru could truthfully say he wouldn't have spent most of his time intimidating her soulmate… or the rest of Karasuno. He'd have wanted them to know quite clearly that if they mess with their best friend, they'd get the bull and the horns. Hajime had agreed, with a little more… openness, when Tōru mentioned that.

* * *

Meanwhile, Niko was half-jogging, half-skipping to the gym the girls' team practiced in. She'd never been one to text during class, so kept her phone on silent and in her bag throughout the day, with the exception of lunch time. Which was why she didn't notice the absence of her phone until she was halfway to the gym after classes ended.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that it was Tōru. He was the only possible culprit. Hajime simply wasn't childish enough to take it, and none of her classmates had any interest in doing so. She only hoped he hadn't caused any damage or tried any of his cringe-worthy intimidation tactics on the brown-haired teddy bear that was Asahi.

As she began changing, Niko finally took the time to assess the damage. After a brief pause, she opened her messages and peaked through the most recent messages. A sigh of relief escaped her lips. He'd only managed to send two - extremely cringy - messages, and Hajime had followed it up with a few short ones after Asahi had replied.

 **Asahi**

 _15:45_

 _hi not-Niko_

 _Oikawa? I think_

 **Niko**

 _15:47_

 _Yep. He's an idiot._

 _He's right though. We're gonna beat you_

 _btw if you ever even think about hurting Niko, it won't be shittykawa that you have to deal with_

 _Niko's here to retrieve her phone – Iwaizumi_

 **Asahi**

 _15:49_

 _lol_

 _Hi Iwaizumi. Big words for a team that's gonna lose :)_

 _I don't plan on it._

 **Niko**

 _15:53_

 _I'm so glad Tōru didn't offend you_

 _Sorry, he's an actual demon lmao_

 _And please ignore Haji's intimidation tactics?_

 _He's the devil I swear._

 _Hi though. Have fun at practice :) I've gotta go to mine, talk soon!_

 **Asahi**

 _15:55_

 _It's fine, haha you did warn me after all :)_

 _And no worries. I'm glad they care so much about you._

 _Hi :) I will, you too. Talk to you later._

Niko finished changing with a smile on her face. After putting her phone away, she slipped into the gym with an apology for her tardiness. It took only a moment for her to explain that Tōru had swiped her phone, resulting in quite a bit of teasing from her teammates. No one minded her supposed lateness. After all, she was still nearly five minutes early. Niko just held herself to a fairly strict - albeit sometimes unrealistic - schedule.

"Now, Niko, care to inform us about your phone obsession?" Nanami slid up beside her, a grin stretching across her lips. Niko bit her lip, looking around to see that all of the girls were turned towards her, watching. She couldn't help the way her lips curled into a bright grin, and she bounced up and down on her heels.

"I found my soulmate! The ace from Karasuno!" The words had barely left her mouth before her entire team surrounded her and were pulling her into hug after hug, screaming in excitement. It was that scene that their coach walked in on, and after a brief explanation from the captain, she congratulated Niko before calling for the girls to focus. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

After a long and gruelling day of drills, running laps, and an extremely tiresome practice game, Niko and her teammates were absolutely ready to go home and rest. They made quick work of cleanup, spurred on by the promise of snacks and no morning practice the next day. As the door to the gymnasium was closed and locked, Niko let out a sigh and internally celebrated. It'd been a hellish day, and she was all too happy to go home and take a bath to relax.

Her celebration had been too premature, apparently. "Kobayashi!" Her coach's voice called out. Niko turned and watched the woman walk up to her. She held a manilla envelope in her hands, something written across the middle in bold letters.

"Yes, Takahashi-sensei?" As the coach stopped in front of her, Niko's eyes dropped to the envelope, trying to get a glimpse of the words written on it. She didn't have to try for long.

"Here, this came in for you." The envelope was held out to her, and Niko's brows shot up. She wasted no time in taking the envelope, reading the words 'JAPAN - YOUTH REPRESENTATIVE' with 'Youth World Championship' underneath. Her name was scrawled across the top left corner. Her squeal of excitement cut off what her coach had been about to say.

The older woman waited while Niko got out all of her excitement before continuing, a small grin quirking her lips up. "Your coach for the under nineteen team called today. She wanted me to have you read through everything and fill it all out as soon as possible. Give it back to me on Monday and I'll send it in. Your first meeting with the team is coming up, as well. You'll be meeting in Tokyo at the beginning of summer break, the details are all in there."

Niko's head was bobbing up and down, and she bounced on the balls of her feet trying to contain her excitement. The exhaustion she'd felt just a few minutes ago was gone in her rush of adrenaline. It wasn't exactly a surprise to receive the invitation - this would be her second year participating, but it was still exhilarating to hold it in her hands. "Thank you so much! I will fill everything out immediately!" Her coach laughed and waved her off, telling her to make sure and get some rest, at the very least.

When she met up with Tōru and Hajime as per usual, Niko bounded up to them and began yelling unintelligibly. Hajime slid his arm around her neck, yanking her against him as he rubbed the top of her head roughly. "Oi, we can't understand you. Speak slowly, goblin."

"Yeah, Chibi-chan. You can't expect us to understand you when you're screaming like a toddler." Niko squirmed away from Hajime as Tōru spoke, fixing both boys with a half-hearted glare. After only a moment, though, her face broke out into a grin and she bounded between them again and held up the envelope for them to see.

"Behold!" They had to squint at it in the darkness, but when they could finally read the writing, both of them looked at her with wide grins. Hajime was quick to pick her up and crush her against him in a hug that left her gasping and whining for air.

"Congratulations, Niko. Then again, we all knew you were gonna be invited again, so it's no surprise." Hajime chuckled, rubbing the top of her head again before lowering her down. As soon as she was standing on her own, Tōru repeated the action, this time while spinning her around.

"Good job, Chibi-chan! We knew you could do it. Now you just need to tell them to invite us, too." He teased her, giving her another spin around.

"I'm gonna hurl stopppp!" Her voice came out in between broken bouts of laughter as she slapped at Tōru's shoulder. When she was placed on solid ground again, she looked up at the two of them with a huge grin. "Thank you guys! You know I'd never have been able to get this far without you both. I'll be sure to put in a good word for you two." Giggling, Niko winked at the duo.

When Niko had been invited to represent Japan in the Youth World Championship the previous year, the three of them hadn't known how to react. Niko was absolutely floored - she was both insanely grateful and stupefied by her inclusion in it. Tōru had been the most shocked. He hadn't even said anything at first - simply stared at the envelope with a blank expression on his face. Hajime had been the one to congratulate her first. The news had surprised him, but not as much as the other two.

She'd been ranked nationally the previous year as well, just a bit lower on the totem pole at that point in time. He hadn't been expecting her to be invited, per se, but it wasn't quite a shock to him. Hajime had been quick to scoop her up and spin her around before knocking sense into Tōru as well. It had taken the setter a moment to congratulate her, but when he finally did, he was all smiles.

Despite his competitive nature, and the jealousy over her invitation that he felt, Tōru knew she'd worked hard for it and deserved it. That hadn't kept the feelings of jealousy at bay, though. There were several months where he completely shut her out any time she started talking about it. Only when she cornered him in the locker rooms and demanded an explanation had he finally gave him and told her about the pent-up feelings.

That had been an emotional experience for both of them, and resulting in a closer friendship afterwards. Tōru had apologized for his lack of support, and she for not realizing how he'd felt sooner. When they came out of the locker rooms, Hajime had been there. All he'd said was that they were finally acting like friends again, and if they ever did that again he'd put them both in the trash where they belonged.

When the trio finally arrived at Niko's house, she was dragged from her inner thoughts as Hajime tugged on her ponytail, grinning. "Oi, daydreamer, you're home." Laughing, Niko batted his hands away and opened up the gate to go into her front yard.

"Sorry, sorry, I was just thinking about Asahi's big, strong, back and legs-" A well-aimed cuff to her head cut her off, resulting in a whine from her. "Ruddeeee." The two shared a grin before Niko's eyes slid to Tōru and she pinned him with an all-too-innocent smile. "Speaking of. Pull that again, and I'll do more than just rough you up, Tōru~"

Niko winked at the setter before shutting the gate behind her and zooming up the stairs to her front door. Behind her, Tōru was calling out for her, his words unintelligible as she slammed the door shut.

After showering, Niko settled down at her desk with the envelope in one hand. Her phone in the other, she quickly found Asahi's number and pressed call. He answered after just two rings.

" _Hi, Niko."_ His voice was low, but there was unmistakable warmth in it as he said her name.

"Hi, Asahi." Biting her lip, Niko tried to fight back the grin that was spreading across her lips to no avail. "I didn't wake you, did I?" She pulled her knees up to her chin, planting the heels of her feet on the edge of the chair.

The low rumble of his chuckling made her cheeks grow warm. " _No, you didn't. How are you?"_

It was all she could do for her heart not to leap out of her chest. The question was so simple, but it was the little things that made her day. "I'm good - no, I'm great. I'm fantastic. I have so much to tell you. How are you? How was practice?" She knew she was blurting out answers and questions, but talking to him scrambled her brain and turned it into mush.

" _I'm glad. I'm good now."_ She didn't miss the connotation, and bit her lip to keep from squealing. " _Practice was great. Everyone is excited to go to the training camp in Tokyo in a couple weeks, so we're all putting our all into it. How about you?"_

That was all he had to say for her to launch into the explanation she'd been eagerly waiting to give him. Niko talked about practice briefly, before sieging straight into her coach catching her after practice and giving her the information. She could hear him stumble and stutter over his words in surprise as she told him of her invitation, but he was quick to congratulate her nonetheless.

They delved into a discussion about the Youth World Championships. Everything from the teams to practice to uniforms, and anything in between, was up for discussion. While they spoke, Niko opened the envelope carefully and pulled out the papers within, reading over them and relaying information back to him every now and then.

It took her quite some time, but she finished filling out the forms and stored them back in the manilla safely before crawling into bed. With her lights turned out and the phone resting on the pillow beside her, her eyes began to droop. Exhaustion was catching up to her. Gradually, her responses became shorter and her words broken up by yawns. When he told her to relax and close her eyes, she complied without thinking. Within a few short minutes, his low timbre guided her to sleep.

* * *

A/N: Another slightly late one - sorry again! The upcoming holiday has been keeping me way busier than I thought it would. Going to try to get back on track next week! Thank you, as always, to everyone who has supported Marks of Life and continues to do so! This chapter is the starting point of the juicy bits of Asahi and Niko's story. It's not all that exciting, but from here on out the majority of the chapters will be a little bit more exciting. Hope you all enjoy it!


	10. Maybe You're A Bit-

Tokyo was terrifying, Niko had to admit. It was beautiful, but the drivers were absolute lunatics, and the amount of traffic she'd had to endure getting there was horrendous. When the taxi had lurched to a stop in front of her hotel, it was all she could do not to drop to her knees and kiss the ground.

The hotel was pretty upscale - which surprised Niko. She hadn't expected a run-down motel, but this place… she felt like she was staying in luxury. Her room was easily as big as nearly a quarter of her home, with a built-in kitchen and full bathroom that included a jacuzzi. She could've brought her entire wardrobe from home, and the closet still would've only been half full. Pictures of her lodgings were quickly sent to Tōru and Hajime, along with a cheeky message about finally being treated like the queen that she was.

Her next order of business required her to take a picture of herself. Niko snapped a quick picture of her standing in front of the kitchen, holding up the peace sign and sticking her tongue out at the camera. That one was sent to Asahi. They'd promised to let one another know when they made it to their destinations in Tokyo, and he'd sent his confirmation yesterday. Now, she had to change and unpack before heading to the first meeting.

Unpacking went by quickly. Having only brought essentials, the entire process was fairly straight-forward for her. The next time she checked her phone for the time, Asahi and Hajime had both replied to her texts. Grinning, Niko tapped out responses to them as she changed into her athletic clothes, as instructed by the group text she'd received earlier from the youth championship coach.

After grabbing her key card and her volleyball bag, Niko made her way out of the hotel. The choice of lodging had been a surprise as for its quality, but it was obvious it'd been chosen because of its proximity to the facility they were meeting in. The Tokyo Volleyball Association Youth Gymnasiums. Gymnasiums that were specifically for the youth representatives for both boys and girls to practice. It only took her about five minutes to walk there, and two to find the girls' team.

Three teenage girls, one middle-aged woman, and one middle-aged man stood off to the side of the courts, alongside two benches. A smile quickly overtook Niko's face, and she skipped over to the group. Hearing her approach, the group stopped talking and turned to her as she stopped next to them.

"Hello, everyone!" Bowing in greeting, Niko let her bag slide from her shoulder to set on the floor beside her. "I'm Kobayashi Niko, it's a pleasure to meet you all!" As she straightened up, murmured greetings echoed around her from the girls. The middle-aged woman smiled warmly at her and stepped forward with an inclination of her head.

"Ah, Kobayashi-san! I'm Tsubasa Ayeka. I will be co-coaching our youth team." Right there and then, Niko could have sworn she felt her heart skip a few beats. A world-famous setter, Ayeka was an absolute genius on the court. "I look forward to working with you. What is it that they call you? Back Line Warden?" The woman stated with a soft grin.

Niko's face heated up, and she opened and closed her mouth multiple times in an attempt to form some sort of coherent sentence. Tsubasa knew of her garish nickname. It was a name she'd tried to deny and push away, but kept being pushed onto her by crowds, teams, and even her own teammates. It was embarrassing, and a title Niko didn't feel she truly deserved just yet. She still had so much room to improve, and to grow, and the name held so much weight.

Laughter from behind Ayeka caught Niko's attention and she shifted to look at the man with a wide-eyed gaze. "Ayeka-san, now don't go embarassing every girl that comes in." He stepped forward, smiling at Niko. "Hisakawa Saburo. I'll also be working as a coach for our fine team. Nice to meet you, Kobayashi-san. We're happy to have you with us."

Not one, but two world-class coaches? Niko was on cloud nine, she was sure of it. Hisakawa went to the olympics and helped his team win a gold medal when he was in his early twenties. His abilities as a wing spiker were absolutely incredible, and breath-taking. Last year's coaches were nothing to snub her nose at, but Niko had particular fondness for these two.

Back when they were kids, she, Tōru, and Hajime had spent many hours poring over both Hisakawa's games and Tsubasa's. When she told the terrible two about this news, they were going to absolutely freak.

Slowly, the rest of the team trickled in, and introductions were made. There were ten girls total. Niko was the only one from her prefecture. Two were from Tokyo, and the rest were from different areas around the country. Four wing spikers, three middle blockers, two setters, and one libero. Niko was the only one guaranteed her position in every single game. Everyone else would be vying for spots.

"Alright, everyone." Hisakawa called out over the talking. Everyone fell silent immediately. "Today is going to be a pretty slow day. Introductions have been made, and we are going to leap right into expectations." He looked around, smiling. "For most of you, this is the first time you've been invited. We'll go over rules - both game, and conduct. As of today, you represent our country. Keep that in mind with everything you girls do."

A chorus of 'yes' rang out, and he shooed the group to the bleachers for them all to sit down. The next two hours were spent with Hisakawa and Tsubasa explaining rules of conduct, expectations for the championships, practice schedules, and more. It was an absolute dump of information, but Niko was prepared for it.

She filled up half a dozen pages in her notebook with information that they were given. Everything of importance was jotted down, and even things that didn't seem all that important were noted as well. If there was one thing that Niko was great at off the court, it would be note-taking.

When the coach had each girl explain a bit about themselves and specifics concerning their play, Niko studiously wrote each detail down. It was just basic information for the time being. The coaches had explained that the girls would be actually practicing together the following day in a five-on-five match.

That would be when they would be able to work out the kinks and learn how to mesh with one another. Niko was absolutely buzzing with excitement at the idea of playing against, and with, such high-caliber individuals the following day.

"Alright, that does it for the informational session of our meeting. Now onto the fun part." Tsubasa spoke up, grinning at the team. Everyone perked up immediately. "We're gonna do some drills. I want to see what everyone is made of. Stretch, then we're gonna go for a run before starting the drills." A chorus of excited yells rang out, and then everyone was heading out of the gymnasium.

For the first lap, the team trailed behind Tsubasa as they jogged, per the woman's request. She'd wanted to show them the route they were to take first. Then, she released them on their own, stating that she was going to be timing their run. It wouldn't affect their positions, but she wanted to know what kind of stamina and speed they all had in general.

It took only a few moments for Niko to overtake the group. Unsurprising, to say the least. It was the libero's job to defend the team from behind, and that job required above average speed and reflexes. Not to mention, Niko went for daily runs before school, and on days there was no practice, she biked as well.

Stamina and speed were the places that she excelled at. Combining those with her reflexes on the court, she was a dangerous opponent to be against. Granted, it had taken her years and years of practice to get to that point.

With a grin stretching across her lips, Niko kept a stable pace as she ran around the facilities. The rest of the team weren't far behind, she noted to herself. None of them were particularly slow, either. Adrenaline rushed through her, excitement building inside.

Niko absolutely adored her team at Aoba Johsai, but none of the girls there were on the same level as this team. It was a regular occurrence for her to leave her high school teammates in her dust during runs. Yet here these nine were, almost keeping up with her. It said a lot about their level of athleticism - which could then be translated to their speed on the court.

By the time she made it back around to Tsubasa, Niko was barely able to contain her excitement. She slowed to a halt just past the coach and stretched. Her entire body felt like it was buzzing with electricity. Tomorrow's practice game couldn't come fast enough. Seeing everyone in action, getting a feel for their play styles, it was so exhilarating to think about.

"There's really no need to show off. Just makes you seem like a snob."

Niko blinked, straightening up from her stretch. Peering up at the girl in front of her, the libero had to take a moment to remember her name. Tanaka Nao. Wing spiker, third year at… Niko couldn't remember the school from the top of her head at the moment. Confusion made her furrow her brows.

"I'm not sure what you mean. We were supposed to run as we normally do." Niko's lips pursed out as she tried to figure out what the other girl meant by her words. It wasn't like she had been speeding up to be the fastest. That'd have been stupid, and not a real show of her abilities.

Nao looked down at her, lips turned down in what seemed almost like a grimace. The two girls stared at one another for a long moment before Nao rolled her eyes and turned away from her. "Don't go acting all high and mighty just because the coaches know of that stupid nickname of yours."

Again, Niko felt confusion bubble up inside of her. Nao walked away without another word, leaving Niko to ponder her words. It wasn't like she was acting any different than normal. And the coaches knew other girls' nicknames as well.

After a moment, Niko shrugged to herself. Maybe Nao was confused or just not in a good mood. The girl's words didn't really affect her, anyway. She barely knew the wing spiker, so Niko had no reason to take her words to heart. With a hum, she left those words behind her and bounced up to the coach.

The last of the girls were coming to a halt a few feet away and beginning to stretch as well. "Terrific, girls!" Tsubasa called out, grinning as she clapped her hands together. "I'd expect nothing less from players of your talent level. Let's head inside to start on drills."

Two girls came up alongside Niko as she trotted towards the gymnasium. As to be expected, she was dwarfed by both of them - she was the shortest player on the team. A quick glance at them confirmed it was Maki Tatsuo and Nakahara Yumi, the two players from Tokyo. If Niko recalled correctly, they'd known each other for quite some time, as their teams practiced together often.

"Ne, Tanaka wasn't rude to you was she?" Tatsuo spoke first, looking at Niko with a small frown on her lips. Yumi mimicked the action, watching the shorter girl carefully.

"Hm? No, I don't think so. Why?" Her gaze bounced between the two taller girls'. They both seemed uncomfortable. Niko couldn't pinpoint the reason why, though. After all, they'd all only just met she what could make them so standoffish?

A sigh escaped from both girls' mouths - relief, perhaps? "Good. It's just that, well, she…" Tatsuo paused, looking at Yumi. The two exchanged a look before Tatsuo continued. "I don't know why, but she was bitching about you during the run. You were faster than everyone else, but she was the only one saying anything about it, or about you in general."

What an odd thing to say, Niko thought. Her brows furrowed again, and she shifted her eyes to the side, trying to figure this out. What did Nao want her to do? Slow down? "Huh. I mean, she said I was showing off, but I didn't think anything of it." Niko said, shrugging. "I figured she was just in a bad mood or confused."

Beside her, Tatsuo and Yumi exchanged another look above her head, frowns on both of their mouths. "I wouldn't worry about it. We don't know what's going on in her life to make her upset. I know I wasn't showing off, so her being a little odd isn't going to bother me." Niko looked up at the duo with a bright grin. "I appreciate your concern, though!"

The two girls gave her tentative smiles in return. Yumi reached up and patted Niko's shoulder lightly. "You're right. We were just overly worried." Tatsuo gave her friend a strange look, but Niko simply grinned at Yumi. "Anyway, I'm eager to see you in action, Kobayashi-san!"

Immediately, all thoughts of the strange encounter with Nao were forgotten. Niko's excitement came back like a raging inferno. "I'm excited to see you two in action as well! Ahh, I'm so looking forward to the match tomorrow, we'll get to see everyone play and learn more. It's so amazing!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

Her mood was contagious. The duo laughed, nuding her lightly in her sides. As they walked into the gymnasium, her teammates had converged around her and they were all chatting with one another. Niko noticed that Nao hung at the edges of the group, but didn't pay attention to her otherwise. Everyone else was keeping her focus on them.

"Alright, first up is spikes. Nakahara, Suzuki, you two will set. Kobayashi, you'll be receiving with me." At the sound of her name, Niko perked up and nodded rapidly. Tatsuo laughed, clapping her on the back lightly.

"We'll be in your care, then, Kobayashi-chan!" Laughing, the girl spun around and walked backwards towards the coach.

"I'll do my best! Don't go easy on me!" Niko giggled, winking at her teammates as they grinned and jabbed at one another. Turning around, she bounded up to Tsubasa with a bright grin. "Ready for duty, Coach Tsubasa!"

The older woman laughed and motioned for Niko to follow her onto the court. The net was already set, and there was a bin of volleyballs off to the side of the court. Seeing what these girls were made of was thrilling to Niko. Every time she played with someone new, she learned something else. This training was bound to give her more ideas.

As the whistle blew, the first balls were tossed and Niko absolutely beamed with excitement. Her eyes remained on the ball, mapping its course in her head as she moved to receive it. Knees bent, arms stretched in front of her at an angle, she moved into the ball's path. It smacked against her arms, and the sting sent a burst of elation through her.

It went flying in a perfect arc to an imaginary setter on her side of the net. There was no time to revel in the feeling, as another ball was being tossed. Again, Niko's body moved as her mind raced several steps ahead.

The team fell into an easy rhythm as they practiced. The spikers were to be continuously rotated, while the setters remained on standby to toss the balls up. Niko and Tsubasa stood on the other side of the net, ready to receive. It was a good opportunity for the spikers to relay information to the setters about their preferred tosses, and the first step to the team becoming connected.

Over and over, Niko received the spikes with utter delight. Occasionally, a ball went off the path she'd intended, but that only served to push her forward. It was all a learning process - as much for her as it was for the rest of the team.

Niko was far from perfect, and she knew that. It's why she practiced so hard all the time. To continue to grow and get better. To strive for the olympic stage. She had to keep improving. Her best wouldn't be good enough when up against world-class volleyball players. So she would continue to push herself forward, and better herself every day.

With every toss and spike, Niko and her teammates were able to learn more about one another. As the setters began to build information on the wing spikers and middle blockers, the tosses got more accurate, and the spikes themselves got stronger and more accurate. She knew that the coaches were building profiles for the girls as well, noting where they needed to improve and where they were strongest.

After forty-five minutes of spiking practice, Coach Hisakawa blew his whistle. The last balls were received, and the team paused. "Good job, ladies! There's some room for improvement, as always, but overall your spiking forms are great. Next up, receives."

As could be expected, Niko excelled at this portion of the practice. It was simple receives compared to those encountered during a game. Much softer, less force, and less erratic. A good base for the coaches to figure out where everyone was at in their skill level.

When receiving practice ended, it moved to blocking. After that, the team went for another run around the facilities. This time, when Niko pulled ahead of the group, nearly all of them sped up and ran alongside her. The grin that stretched across her face was one of pure joy.

"Hey now, Kobayashi-chan, we can't let you show us up a second time today." Tatsuo nudged her shoulder as she slid up beside the libero. When Niko looked up at her, the other girl winked at her playfully.

"Show you up? Did you see how amazing everyone was in there with their spikes?" Niko nudged the other girl back, looking around at the other girls. "You all were totally badass! I have to keep up my image somehow, so if that means having to outrun you all to show how cool I am…" Shrugging, Niko trailed off. Despite her attempts at looking serious, her lips quivered and twitched at the corners.

The other girls watched with slowly expanding grins on their lips, waiting for her to burst. It didn't take long. The first bubble of laughter that escaped her was followed by a choked-back giggle, and then Niko was laughing uncontrollably. Around her, the others began giggling and laughing as well.

Before long, the group was chatting easily as they ran. It was easy to talk to all of them, Niko realized. Despite everyone being highly competitive athletes that would normally be rivals, none of the girls bore any grudges or malcontent with one another. They were all just happy to be part of the team to represent Japan's youth.

If anything, their competitive spirit made it easier to get along. Everyone had a goal they were working towards, and knew that for their goals to be accomplished, they had to work together. Many of these players were aiming for the olympics, Niko soon learned. Yet another thing she had in common with them.

The run ended with Niko dashing past the group, laughing as she called out to them. "Ha, catch me if you can!" She ran backwards briefly to stick her tongue out at them before she turned around and raced up to Tsubasa. Niko stopped just past her and put her hands on her hips, panting lightly as she turned to grin at her teammates.

The other girls had sped up and were rushing forward, vying for second place in their unofficial race. Tsubasa shook her head, laughing at their antics. "Good to see you're all getting along, ladies." She said to them once the entire team was assembled around her again. Several girls elbowed one another teasingly, grinning and biting back laughter.

As the team's first meeting and practice ended a few minutes later, Niko found herself walking with six of her teammates back to the hotel. Apparently, they were all staying in the same hotel - to make traveling easier. It made sense. Nao and two other girls trailed behind the larger group, and occasionally some of her teammates threw glances back towards them, but said nothing.

It was Niko that turned around to face them, walking backwards as she grinned at the trio and called out to them. "You guys can join us, you know! We don't bite. Well, maybe I do sometimes, but only if I'm hungry!" She missed the looks that several of the girls she walked alongside exchanged.

Silence stretched between the two groups, but Niko didn't seem to notice. Instead, she simply smiled at the three and beckoned them forward. Suddenly, Nao scowled and opened her mouth. "Yeah, and maybe you're a bit-" One of the other girls grabbed Nao's arm, stopping her. The group of six stopped walking, and Niko slowed to a halt as well.

The girl that had grabbed onto Nao leaned in, speaking softly to her. Words that Niko couldn't hear, given the distance. Tatsuo came up beside the libero, and another girl stepped to her other side. A quick glance confirmed it was one of the wing spikers, Matsumoto Kasumi. Not that it was hard to tell - Kasumi was easily the tallest player on the team.

"Oi, Nao." Kasumi called out to the other girl, brows raised. "If you've got something to say, come out and say it already. Backhanded remarks and snide comments aren't going to keep flying." The trio stopped short of the larger group. Nao's companions, Suzuki Etsuko and Watanabe Natsumi, glanced at one another than at the wing spiker between them again. Kasumi remained silent, waiting for a response.

Niko blinked slowly, hands sliding down to press to her hips, pinching the fabric of her pants between her fingers lightly. The tension was thick enough that she swore she could cut it with a knife.

"Listen, I don't know what beef you have with Kobayashi, but leave it in your hotel room. If you'd bother talking to her for five minutes, you'd realize that you've been making an ass of yourself this whole time." Now, Niko frowned. Turning to look up at Tatsuo as the girl spoke, she watched her for a minute before turning to the other three once again.

Etsuko leaned in and said something in Nao's ear. "I don't give a fuck." Came the wing spiker's immediate reply. Then, Etsuko let out an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. I'm not going to keep babying you. Have your own grudge, I won't be part of it." And with that, the setter hiked her bag higher on her shoulder and walked past the other group. Nao glared at her as she left, before turning the scorching gaze on Niko all of a sudden.

"Fine. You want to know my problem? You," Nao stepped forward, closing the distance between herself and Niko. "don't deserve to be here." She leaned down, practically spitting the words at her.

For just a moment, Niko was stunned into silence. Her eyes widened, and her lips parted. Then, she shrugged. "Well, I mean, the committee for the team all disagree with you since I'm standing here. If I didn't deserve to be here, I wouldn't be." She said simply, no hint of malice in her voice.

She was stating facts, to put it quite simply. Niko knew that she was a damn good libero. She'd worked her ass off to become one. If she wasn't supposed to be on the team, or wasn't good enough for the team, she simply wouldn't have been invited. So Nao's words were silly. Simple fallacies. They didn't bother her - after all, like she had just pointed out, an entire committee had chosen her for the position. It wasn't a single person doing the choosing for the members of the team - it was about a dozen volleyball experts. Two of which were most likely the coaches for their team.

Shrugging again, Niko adjusted her shirt and patted her legs. "I don't know why you think I don't, but if there's someone you think is better suited to it, then I'd say talk to our coaches. I'm not going to quit the team just because you told me your opinion." She paused for a moment, before grinning brightly at the other girl. "Plus, none of us have seen one another play in person before, so no one can be sure of anyone's skill level just yet."

Yumi came up beside Tatsuo and wrapped her arm around the other girl, laughing. "Besides us, anyway. I've played enough games against her team to know Tatsuo's kind of shit." She winked at her friend, who promptly elbowed her in the ribs before the duo dissolved into laughter.

Just like that, the tension seemed to disappear. Nao continued to glare at Niko for a moment, before suddenly turning and storming past the group. Natsumi hesitated for a moment, glancing between the girl and the group. Then, she followed after Nao.

"Hey, seriously, though." Yumi spoke up again once the duo was gone, and the group had stopped laughing. Turning to her, Niko peered up at the girl curiously. "Don't let what she said get to you, Kobayashi. Whatever her beef is with you, it's clearly misplaced. I've seen a few videos of your matches. You're a beast on the court, too."

Yumi reached forward, ruffling Niko's hair, and the group burst into giggles once again. Laughing, the libero shook her head. "Thanks, but no worries. I don't know what's going on with her, but a comment here or there isn't going to bug me. Plus, who knows - maybe she's just having a bad day." Smiling, Niko turned around to start walking to the hotel again.

The group fell into step around her. Slowly, conversation returned to normal. Back at the hotel, the girls exchanged numbers and then parted ways to go to their rooms. After showering and changing into more comfortable clothes, Niko dialed Asahi's number, her heart beating rapidly in her chest.

* * *

Practice having just ended just a few minutes ago, Asahi was on his way to the changing rooms when something in his bag began vibrating. "Ah, hang on, someone's calling me." He interrupted Suga before fumbling through his bag for his phone.

Rolling his eyes, Suga put his hands on his hips and raised a brow at the ace as they continued to walk. "You know, you've been getting a lot more brazen since you met Kobayashi-chan." Asahi's face grew warm, and he began mumbling an apology.

When he saw the name on the screen, though, he cut himself off and smiled suddenly. In an instant, he answered and put the phone to his ear. "Niko." Beside him, Suga began to laugh. Daichi nudged the setter, grinning. The two slowly drifted from him, giving him more privacy to talk to the girl.

Despite their teasing, Asahi knew that they were happy for him, and didn't actually mind his occasional absent-mindedness or tendency to accidentally interrupt any time his phone rang or Niko texted him. He'd asked them about it once, fumbling and awkwardly looking away, part of him ashamed at his behavior. His friends had promptly laughed and told him that they knew he was just excited to talk to her, so they didn't mind whatsoever. That had been a relief.

Now, as Niko's voice came through the speaker, Asahi made a mental note to thank Daichi and Suga later for their constant acceptance. " _Asahi. Hi."_ She spoke softly, and Asahi's mind flashed back to the picture she'd sent him earlier in the day. " _I just got back from practice. I hope I didn't interrupt yours?"_

His lips tugged upwards, and he instinctively shook his head before realizing that she couldn't see that. "No, we, um- we just got finished a few minutes ago, actually. So, ah. Good timing." His face was burning. Asahi still fumbled over himself when talking to her. He was improving little by little, but he knew it was a process that would take a while.

Niko laughed, the sound calming Asahi's beating heart. " _That's good. How was it? What are the other teams like?"_ He could practically hear the grin in her voice. Asahi's pace slowed, and he let his lips curl into an unsure smile.

"It was… good. Interesting." Asahi's mind drifted back to when Hinata had crashed into him, and the resulting discussion. It had sparked something in him, something that told him that he needed to practice harder. Niko remained silent, and he realized she was giving him the opportunity to explain if he wanted.

After another moment of hesitation, he began talking again. "Hinata, um. Got distracted today during practice. He was watching the ball, and uh. He, ah. Crashed into me." A beat of silence, then he hurried to explain more before she freaked out. "I'm okay! So is he."

Asahi heard her sigh of relief, and found himself raising his free hand to rub the back of his neck. " _Oh, I'm glad you're both okay. Especially you."_ His mouth went dry, and Asahi had to swallow roughly before he could continue.

"Yeah. Thanks. I am too, um. But." He was absolutely positive that his entire face was bright red by now. "Anyway," He hurried to move forward, "it made me realize that, ah, I need to…" For a moment, Asahi trailed off. Then, in a rush, he finished his sentence. "I need to keep improving. To, um, practice. Harder. I can't stay the same as I am."

If it were anyone else, the silence that stretched between them would've made Asahi's nerves spike and he would've been fumbling to either fill the silence or be too embarrassed to keep going. With Niko, though, the silence was more comfortable.

" _That's good, then."_ She said simply, and Asahi found himself feeling thankful that she understood where he was coming from. " _There's always room for everyone to improve. I'm glad you found something to inspire you to keep growing."_ There was genuine warmth in her voice as she spoke.

Stepping up to the door of the changing rooms, Asahi pushed it open and walked inside. This time, he was trying to find something else to say. His brain always short circuited whenever they were talking. Niko was a constant source of positive energy and total belief in his abilities, and it was something that still floored him.

As he ventured into the changing rooms, he shifted his phone to his other ear and began again. "Thank.. Um, thank you. Um. How was your practice?" The warmth spread down his neck as he thought about how utterly lame that sounded as a follow-up. A few of the players in the room glanced at him, but otherwise ignored him as he set his bag down on the bench and began untying his shoes, phone pressed between his ear and his shoulder.

Despite his nervousness, Niko didn't seem to think that his response had been lame at all, as she immediately launched into an excited explanation. Asahi found himself calming down the more she spoke, and a grin slowly stretched across his lips as he listened to her rave about her teammates and coaches.

Oblivious to the looks of those around him, Asahi completely missed it when Kuroo and Bokuto sidled up next to Daichi as he finished changing a few feet from him. "Who's he talking to?" Bokuto was the first to ask, no ounce of shyness in him as he just came out and asked the most obvious (and nosy) question there was.

Daichi looked over, and after a moment of contemplation, he grinned. "His soulmate." Immediately, those around him turned and faced the Karasuno captain. Bokuto's mouth dropped open.

"Hey, hey, hey! That's awesome! Hey, what kind of practice-" Bokuto started stepping towards Asahi, but Kuroo grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back next to him.

"Nosy owl, aren't you?" The black-haired captain grinned at his wide-eyed friend. "Don't interrupt someone else's conversation." Daichi laughed, glancing over at Asahi again.

"I don't think you need to worry. When he's talking to her, Asahi's basically deaf to the world around him." He state, grinning. Suga appeared beside the captain, nodding his head.

"He really is. It's impressive." The setter grinned, turning to wave at Asahi - who, despite half-way facing the group, somehow managed to completely miss it as he tied his shoes and smiled at something Niko said to him. "See? Dead to the world."

Everyone around them started laughing, but even then, all Asahi did was glance over before turning a bit as if to shield the phone from the noise. "Hey! Is he talking to Kobayashi-sempai?" Nishinoya suddenly appeared beside Bokuto. "I want to talk to her! Asahi!" He started moving forward, but Suga was quick to grab ahold of the back of his shirt.

"Leave him alone, he's been waiting to talk to her all day." Suga said, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

"Is he talking to Kobayashi-chan? Asahi! Tell her I said hi!" Tanaka burst forward, coming from the showers. "I wanna talk-" Daichi moved forward, clamping a hand to the second year's shoulder and turning him towards the door.

"Let's go, you two need to leave him alone. You can text her if you want to talk so bad." Daichi was pushing Tanaka towards the door, Suga pulling Nishinoya along right behind him. Kuroo was gripping his stomach, doubled over laughing at the scene.

Cackling, he had to run to catch up to Karasuno's members with Bokuto hot on his heels. "Hey, hey, hey! What's so great about Kobayashi?" A groan left Daichi's mouth, and Suga's body slouched in exaggerated exasperation.

Instantly, both Tanaka and Nishinoya beamed and scrambled out of their captain and vice captain's grasps. "She's amazing!" "She's smart and talented, and she plays volleyball!" "Kobayashi is super talented!" "She's so nice!" Nishinoya's voice overlapped with Tanaka's as they both began yelling about the girl.

It took the captain duo a moment to make sense of their words, but when they did both captains perked up. "Oho?" Bokuto voiced first, brows raising as he looked at the two second years.

"Ohoho?" Kuroo grinned, smirked devilishly. "A volleyball player, huh? What position does she play?" The answer was an instantaneous yell of 'LIBERO!' from both Tanaka and Nishinoya. Daichi rubbed at his temples, sighing. Clearly, Kuroo and Bokuto were planning on encouraging the two loudmouths. It was like dealing with four kids.

"Ohohoho?" Bokuto piped up again, placing his hands on his hips as he grinned. Suga sighed, rubbing his eyes. Trying to stop the four of them would be impossible. Best to just admit defeat now.

The group walked away from the changing rooms, their attention somewhat successfully diverted from Asahi. Back inside, Asahi finished changing (finally), and grabbed his bag. " _So I'm super excited. Tomorrow's practice game is going to be so much fun. I totally want to hear more about the teams you're practicing with soon! They all sound so fun!"_

Chuckling, Asahi walked through the door and nodded. "I'll have plenty to tell you about, probably. Ah, and have fun tomorrow. Let me, um, know how it goes?"

" _Definitely! Okay, I'm gonna let you go for now so we can both eat. Text me?"_ Niko said hopefully, her voice dipping a bit. Asahi found himself having to swallow thickly before he could speak.

"Yes, definitely, I'll go eat and we- we can, uh talk after. I'll text! I'll text you!" Once again, the word vomit that came out of his mouth was barely understandable. Yet Niko seemed to get it perfectly, as she giggled softly in his ear.

" _Okay, good. Talk to you soon, Asahi."_

Before he could fumble and make more of a fool of himself, Asahi quickly replied. "Talk soon, Niko!" And then he hung up, face burning as he shoved his phone into his pocket.

By the time he got to the lunch room, where a basic dinner was being served, Asahi had managed to cool off his face and return to somewhat normal. That flew out the window the second he stepped inside, though, because he was assaulted from all sides by excited volleyball players, asking about Niko and about how they met.

The evening was spent with him fumbling around for words and discussing his soulmate with the others. Many of the players were insanely curious, as very few of them had actually met their soulmate. It wasn't necessarily a rare occurrence, but meeting his at what was considered such a young age, was startling to them.

Add in the fact that she played volleyball, the other players were doubly invested in his relationship. They wanted to know everything. Asahi just knew that once he told Niko about this, he was going to be over the moon and want to meet everyone as well. He wished she was here right now, so she could talk to them all instead, because he kept stuttering and stumbling over his words and explanations. Several times, Suga or Daichi cut in to clarify a confusing statement.

Overall, it was a long night. Despite his promise to text her, he was only able to shoot off a couple of messages between everyone's questions, and when the discussion finally turned to a different subject, she'd texted him that she was going to bed so he bid her goodnight and then turned his attention to the discussion again.

* * *

A/N: This chapter was a beast to write - I must have rewritten it about half a dozen times in some capacity or another. I'm way further behind than I intended - so depending on how much I can get done this week I may end up pausing and not updating next week, so that I can have more time to catch up. But there will definitely be at least one chapter the week after that! Hopefully I can get enough writing done during this week to prevent that though :) I really enjoyed writing the interactions with Bokuto and Kuroo and the Karasuno players. Don't worry - Niko will be meeting them before long ;) As always, thank you so much to everyone who has supported Marks of Life and I! I appreciate you all so much!

eunoiapaint - Ahh, thank you so much! I am so happy to hear that you are enjoying it! 3

nizem8 - Haha thank you! :D

pansyandy - Oh, that will definitely happen soon enough! Especially with Oikawa being the instigator that he is :p

chibi-no-baka - Aww, they will very soon! And she'll be meeting the boys' teams around the same time that that happens :) Thank you so much!

bookdragonslayer - I'm so happy to hear you think so :D I was a little worried they might be a bit overkill, but they really define Niko's friendship with the 'demon duo' a bit more, and Asahi's budding confidence :)


	11. Words Like Spears

Day two of her trip to Tokyo started with Niko going for an early-morning run at half past six. She'd taken the time the previous night to look at a map of the area around her to plan a route, so she wouldn't get lost. In case she did get turned around, she had her phone on her, so it wouldn't be too hard to find her way back.

There was something about going for runs so early that Niko could never get enough of. The air was cool, and felt great on her face as she worked up a sweat. There was little traffic, and very few people were awake. At least, that's how it was at home. In Tokyo, it seemed the city never slept.

Even at such an early hour, there were cars regularly passing her, people milling around cafes, and shops open bright and early. Niko wasn't sure if she liked that or not. On one hand, sometimes running alone so early was a bit nerve-wracking, but on the other hand, she enjoyed the quiet. So while she wasn't really alone on her run, the noise threw her off.

After about an hour, she finally looped back around to her hotel. A brief stop at the in-house cafe to grab breakfast, and then Niko was up the stairs and on her way back to her room. Halfway up the stairs, she turned the corner and ran straight into someone on their way down the steps.

Stumbling backwards, Niko had to grab the railing to stop herself from tumbling down at least a couple steps. "Oh, sorry! Are you okay?" Recovering quickly, she shifted to the side and extended a hand to the girl as she swayed back.

The other girl's hand shot out and slapped hers away. Niko's eyes widened. "I don't need your fucking help." The response was all but snarled, and Niko recoiled. As the other girl straightened, she finally recognized her. Nao. "Get out of my way, moron."

Niko found herself frowning, before she narrowed her eyes and stepped back up to the landing she'd been about to go around. "Listen, I already apologized. No need to be so nasty." She spoke with a soft shrug, watching the wing spiker carefully as Nao straightened and glared down at her.

"Fuck off." Nao spat at her, and Niko's brows lifted in surprise. After a brief pause, she simply shook her head and walked around the other girl, heading up the stairs again. Apparently Nao's nasty attitude hadn't dissipated since yesterday. Whatever her issue was, Niko wasn't intending on standing around and just being her verbal punching bag.

She had just taken a couple steps when Nao spoke again. "I don't like you." Stopping, Niko turned and faced the girl again. Patiently, she waited for her to continue - as she so clearly wanted to.

The wing spiker stood, glaring up at her with her hands curled into fists at her side. "You're so full of yourself. I've seen videos of your matches. You aren't that great. It's like you think you're a gift from the gods. There's plenty of liberos out there that are better than you." Every word was spoken lowly, laced with venom and what Niko could only describe as hatred. "Maybe if you actually practiced every now and then instead of sucking up players so much better than you, you'd actually be halfway decent. You're going to bring this team down."

If it weren't for the fact that half of her words were false, and the other half were things that Niko already knew, Nao's words might have stung. Instead, all they made Niko do was shrug and her frown soften. "It's unfortunate that you think that way, but I'm not going to argue with you about me. You barely know me, so your opinion is just that - an opinion. Not fact."

She pursed her lips, head tilting to the side a bit as she peered down at Nao. "And I'm fully aware of the fact that there's plenty of liberos out there that are better than me. There's always going to be. That's how life is." Niko watched at Nao's face darkened, eyes following the way her lips opened in what could only be described as a grimace. "It's why I continue to strive to better myself. It's why I always will. Anyway. See you at practice later. Have a good day, Tanaka-san!"

Rather than wait for another reply, Niko turned and jogged up the stairs. This time, Nao didn't stop her. The encounter left the libero feeling unsettled, but there was nothing to be done about it for now. So instead, she brushed the feelings away and sat down the eat.

When she pulled out her phone, she saw that she'd received a message from Asahi. All feelings of unsureness were gone in an instant, instead replaced by a rapidly beating heart full of excitement. When she opened the message and saw that it was a picture of him, Niko bit her lip and let out a soft squeal.

It had taken quite a lot of convincing to get Asahi to the point of willingly sending her pictures every now and then. He'd been so shy and nervous about it at first, she'd had to take a lot of time to convince him that she wanted to see him every day - even if only in a picture. Now, he sent her pictures every couple of days usually, or when she specifically requested them.

This particular image had Niko's heart racing wilding in her chest, and her cheeks grew warm. His hair was down, brown locks falling around his shoulders as he gave the camera a sleepy smile. He'd clearly taken it shortly after waking up, if the messy hair and bleary eyes were anything to go by. Absolute perfection, in Niko's eyes.

Then again, he could literally wear trash and she'd still think he was amazing and insanely hot. Running her tongue across her lips, she tried to bite back the smile that was growing on her lips. A short reply was tapped out, and then she squealed again and tossed her phone onto the bed, hiding her face in her hands.

 **Niko**

 _7:48_

 _I need more hair-down Asahi in my life please (*≧∀≦*)_

Somehow, Niko managed to not pick up her phone again until after she'd ate and changed. When she did, it was because her message tone for her group chat with Hajime and Tōru indicated multiple new replies in a row.

As soon as she opened the messages, Niko laughed and rolled her eyes.

 **Trashykawa**

 _8:08_

 _GOOD MORNING!_

 _Wake up_

 _Feed me_

 **Haji-Paji**

 _8:09_

 _Shut the fuck up trashykawa_

 _Feed yourself_

 **Trashykawa**

 _8:10_

 _Thts mean, Iwa-chan_

 _Wat did I do 2 dsrv tht_

 **Goblin Queen**

 _8:11_

 _Existed_

 _Good morning sleeping beauties_

 _I've been awake for hours :)_

 **Trashykawa**

 _8:12_

 _Ye, well ur a psycho so_

 **Haji-Paji**

 _8:12_

 _Same_

 _Nah that's you_

 **Goblin Queen**

 _8:13_

 _See, Haji knows ;)_

 **Trashykawa**

 _8:14_

 _Bullies_

 **Haji-Paji**

 _8:15_

 _Nah, you_

 _How's Tokyo life?_

 _Getting along with everyone there, demon woman?_

 **Goblin Queen**

 _8:16_

 _What he said_

 _Gooooddd. Went for a run. It was so loud?_

 _Always :) gonna replace you two with badass girls_

 **Trashykawa**

 _8:17_

 _Fuk u losr_

 _Ur stuk wit me_

 **Haji-Paji**

 _8:18_

 _Obviously. It's a city, dumbass_

 _As if anyone can handle you as well as we can_

 **Goblin Queen**

 _8:19_

 _Fuck offff_

 _You're like leeches_

 _Sucking the life out of me :(_

 _I'm withering away because you're both mean_

 **Haji-Paji**

 _8:20_

 _You have that backwards_

 _I've aged forty years since meeting you two_

 **Trashykawa**

 _8:21_

 _Rude_

 _wow Iwa-chan, that's mean_

 _We r delites_

 **Goblin Queen**

 _8:22_

 _Delights* but what he said_

 _You're so lucky to have us in your life, Haji :)_

 **Trashykawa**

 _8:22_

 **Haji-Paji**

 _8:23_

 _Unlikely story_

 _Just got to the gym, talk to you later demons 1 and 2_

 **Goblin Queen**

 _8:24_

 _Okay byeee have fun :)_

 _8:28_

 _Did you die, Trashykawa?_

 _8:31_

 _You were already there weren't you? Ahahah_

 **Haji-Paji**

 _8:33_

 _He was._

 _I'm going to kill him._

 **Trashykawa**

 _8:34_

 _He hit me w a vllybll_

 _On my head_

 **Goblin Queen**

 _8:35_

 _That's what you get for practicing too much_

 _Don't let him practice more until he eats, Haji_

 **Haji-Paji**

 _8:36_

 _What she said._

 _I know._

 _Talk later_

 **Goblin Queen**

 _8:37_

 _Good. Talk to you later_

 _Behave yourself, Shittykawa!_

 **Trashykawa**

 _8:38_

 _Thx mom nd mom :)_

Niko didn't bother replying to Tōru's last message - she knew once Hajime saw the message, he'd 'reply' enough for the both of them. Tōru's habit of calling them both mom when they started talking about his habits pissed Hajime off to no end, and often resulted in him threatening the setter with bodily harm. It was always enough to put Tōru back in line… for a while, at least.

After checking the clock one more time, Niko tossed the wrapper from her breakfast in the trash and grabbed her volleyball bag. When she raced out of her room, she stopped short as she realized several of the other girls were walking out of their rooms now as well. "Good morning!" She called out brightly.

The four that were walking down the hallway towards the elevators paused and turned towards her. Niko smiled brightly at them and bounded up as they each waved or smiled in greeting. "Morning, Kobayashi." Kasumi gave her a soft grin as she greeted her.

"I'm excited to see you all in action today! I can't wait for the practice match." Niko raved as they walked, hands moving wildly as she spoke. "It's going to be so much fun!" Kasumi laughed beside her, patting the shorter girl on the shoulder lightly.

"The feeling is mutual. I think we're all definitely looking forward to it." Kasumi grinned, and the other girls nodded their agreeance. All of them were eager to see their whole team in action. It was the first obstacle to becoming more cohesive and being able to play together fluidly. All of them had probably seen one another's matches on video before, but seeing one another play in person would be a completely different story.

As the group of five made their way downstairs, and then to the street, three more joined them. They chatted easily as they walked, everyone falling into a comfortable, ever-changing conversation. Niko constantly changed between walking forward, and turning around to walk backwards while she addressed someone. Several of the girls teased her light-heartedly for it, telling her that her constant spinning was making them dizzy.

When they arrived at the gymnasium, the girls stayed clumped together, minus the two that had walked alone - Nao and Natsumi. The coaches were there waiting when they all arrived and were quick to go straight into business mode.

Hisakawa clapped his hands together, silencing the team and drawing their attention to him immediately. "Good morning, ladies!" A chorus of 'good mornings' was repeated after him, and he smiled before putting his hands to his hips and continuing. "I'm sure you're all excited for the practice match, but we're going to warm up first. We'll stretch, do some short drills, and then we'll sort you into your teams. Let's go!"

Another sharp clap from him, and the team dispersed, spreading themselves around the gym to begin stretching. Time flew by, and before Niko realized it, Tsubasa was blowing a whistle and calling for the girls to gather up.

"Terrific, now for the best part!" The girls gathered together, and everyone was buzzing with excitement. Niko clasped her hands together and bounced up and down on her heels, waiting to find out the teams. "Teams for the practice match will be the following-" Tsubasa pulled a whiteboard up next to her and uncapped a marker, writing down the names as she said them.

"Green team will be Kobayashi, Maki, Nakahara, Matsumoto, and Oshiro." Their respective roles being libero, middle blocker, setter, wing spiker, and wing spiker. Niko had to hold back a squeal of excitement. "Purple team will, obviously, be Tanaka, Suzuki, Kimura, Watanabe, and Sato." Wing spiker, setter, wing spiker, middle blocker, and middle blocker. So the teams were fairly evenly matched. "Now, for starting rotation."

Tsubasa drew out quick diagrams of both teams' rotations, as Hisakawa began passing out green or purple pinnies to the girls. Niko and the rest of the green team gathered up quickly on one side of the court, grinning and nudging one another excitedly.

Adrenaline rushed through Niko's veins, and her entire body was absolutely buzzing. Finally, she would be playing an actual game of volleyball both with and against her teammates. It was going to be terrific, she just knew it.

When the whistle blew, the entire atmosphere of the gymnasium changed. Everyone focused on the game. Despite just being a practice match, everyone was intent on giving it their all. The first serve went up from one of the wing spikers on the green team, Oshiro Tomoko. It was a solid serve - nothing fancy, but stable as it soared towards Etsuko.

"Shit." Etsuko cursed, frowning as she moved forward to receive it. Kimura Momo was on the right, with Nao positioned right beside her. Both of them were wingspikers - who would Etsuko send the ball to? Niko had only a moment to ponder it. "Kimura! Sorry, it's short!"

The receive was wobbly, and just as the setter had said, it was a bit short. Yet still, Momo leapt into the air, her body arcing and hand flying out to smack against the ball. From the back line, Niko watched as Tatsuo and Kasumi moved forward together, their movements just barely out of sync.

They both jumped, arms stretched up above their heads. The ball hit Tatsuo's fingers and ricocheted back on the other side of the net. Watanabe Natsumi, one of the purple team's middle blockers, was already there when it began falling to the ground. Her arms met the ball from underneath, and she called out. "Etsuko!"

"Kimura!" The ball soared from Natsumi to Etsuko, and with a perfect set from her to Momo once again. The best decision, Niko thought to herself. Momo was in the best position to spike it, again.

This time when Momo hit the ball, it flew past the reaching hands of Kasumi and Yumi. Niko's heart sped up, but she was already in motion. She vaulted forward, left arm outstretched. When the ball made contact with her skin, Niko had barely half a second to revel in the high of the feeling before she hit it towards Yumi. "Yumi, you've got this!"

Her body curled in as she neared the ground, softening the impact and allowing her to roll back to her feet in one nearly fluid motion. By the time she was standing again, the ball was already on the other side of the net, being set by Etsuko once again. Niko's lips curled up into a wide grin. The game was insanely fast-paced… she loved it.

Nao was the next to touch the ball, lips thinned into a hard line and brows furrowed in an angry arc. With all the force behind her, Nao's palm hit the ball - and it sailed straight towards Niko, who was mid-stride.

Her feet planted themselves to the floor and she shifted, bringing her arms up to block the ball from hitting her face. The sting of the impact did little to dim her mood - if anything, all it did was make Niko more giddy. "Nice! Yumi! Sorry, cover!" The ball arced away from Niko, in a half-hearted path to her team's setter.

It was the first spike she'd received from Nao, and already Niko could tell that the girl was a heavy hitter. The sheer power behind the spike made it difficult to receive properly, which then made it harder to control its trajectory to her teammates. It was those kinds of balls that allowed Niko to learn and improve herself, though.

Yumi was quick to receive the ball, despite its sloppiness, and turn it into an absolutely beautiful set to Kasumi. It was a rapid changing of hands, and Niko had barely blinked before the sound of the ball hitting the court sounded on the other side of the net.

The first point of the match went to the green team. Cheers erupted from Niko's teammates. Winning first point was a feeling like none other. Both teams were spurred on to play harder.

For a practice match, the volleys were lasting absolutely ages. Neither team was giving one another an inch. The second point was won by the purple team, third by green, then another for green, then purple - and so it continued, going back and forth over and over again.

When deuce was achieved, neither team was surprised - nor were the coaches, from what Niko could tell. They stood at the sidelines, both smiling and nodding as they spoke to one another while watching the girls.

There were a few things that Niko was able to piece together over the course of the match. First, Yumi was an absolutely genius setter. No matter how bad the toss to her was, she turned it into a beautifully arcing set that went right to the teammates she called for. The first few were a little shaky, but her form rapidly improved as she learned her teammates preferences.

Second, Sato Rika truly lived up to her nickname 'Forcefield'. She blocked more of the green team's balls than the rest of her teammates combined - it was terrific to watch her calculate and shuffle and move so quickly.

Third, Kasumi's spikes could possibly tear her arms off if she received one. The girl was insanely strong - none of the purple team could steadily receive her spikes, and they slammed on the other side of the court with such force that it reverberated throughout the gymnasium.

Fourth, and finally, Nao was targeting her. All but three of the other girl's spikes were aimed straight for Niko - and those three were haphazard, sudden spikes that Etsuko set to her seemingly out of nowhere. Each and every other spike shot straight for Niko, no matter where she was at.

Her teammates noticed it - the looks they shot her each time it happened solidified that thought. Nao's teammates noticed it as well - they threw her sidelong glances and frowns, and once Etsuko said something to her, only for the girl to scoff and move away.

It was baffling. At first, Niko assumed that Nao simply wanted to see what she was made of - which was perfectly fine. However, after she'd received a few of the girl's spikes Niko began to catch on and started being able to guide the ball and control it more, despite the force behind it. That only seemed to piss Nao off more, as the next balls were even more forceful.

By the time the match ended, Niko's arms were bright red, and she was positive there'd be bruises by the time morning rolled around. In the end, the green team won 30-28. They were all sweating profusely, and filed off the court to retrieve towels and drinks that had been set out for them.

"Take a short break, then gather up over here. We're gonna go over some of the logistics of the match." Tsubasa called out, receiving a series of 'okay' and 'yes's in return. With a towel wrapped around her neck, Niko squirted the flavored drink into her mouth as she watched everyone mill about.

Before long, the green team had gathered around her. "Hey, you alright?" Kasumi was the first to speak up, moving up beside Niko and nudging her with her elbow lightly. Blinking owlishly, the girl looked up at her teammate and nodded.

"Yeah, why?" Niko said after swallowing a mouthful of her drink, brow furrowed.

"Nao."

"Ah. Yeah, no, I'm fine. I dunno what her reasoning for all that was, but it didn't bother me. I've received much worse spikes than those before." Shrugging, Niko opened her mouth and squeezed the bottle to fill her mouth again.

This time when someone spoke, it came from behind her. "She wanted to break you." The voice startled the group, and they all whipped towards it. Etsuko stood there, hands on her hips and a deep frown curling her lips down. After a brief moment of silence, she continued. "I don't know the details, but for whatever reason, Nao really dislikes you. About halfway through the match, she said that she was going to break you when questioned by Momo. It's why she kept aiming for you. Hoping that you'd slip up, so she could break you."

Niko stared at the setter, swishing the liquid in her mouth as she contemplated a response. Such an odd thing to learn. Why would her teammate want to break her? Even if it's a practice match, in the end they are still teammates.

Realizing that everyone was waiting for her response, Niko swallowed and opened her mouth, starting slowly. "Well… It didn't work. I don't know why she's got a problem with me - I've never met her before today. I've never even played against her before." Pursing her lips, Niko fell silent for only a moment before continuing. "Whatever it is, if she'd just come talk to me I'm sure we could sort it out. Until then, though, she can aim for me as many times as she'd like. If I mess up, that will just push me to do better the next time."

Slowly, her lips curled up into a grin and she took one last drink before setting her bottle down on the nearby bench. "Thank you for telling me, Etsuko. Try not to worry about Nao too much, guys. I'm sure it'll pass before long." Niko patted Etsuko's shoulder lightly before sliding around her teammates and heading for her coach.

* * *

Four days later, Asahi and Niko finally met up in person. Or more specifically, Niko received permission from Ukai to come visit the boys after practice at the school they were staying at. Her coaches had given the girls a day off, after four insanely intense days of practice.

The first half of her morning had been spent exploring the area, and by afternoon she was on a train heading for this 'Golden Week' training camp that Karasuno was attending. When she arrived in the city, Niko spent a short amount of time meandering around to see the scenery, reveling in how different it was from the area she was staying in.

When Niko showed up at the gym, she waited outside, sitting on the ground with her back pressed against the building and phone in her lap. Only a few minutes later, voices grew louder from the door a few feet from her. Moments later, Karasuno was pouring out of the gymnasium and they were dashing up the hill.

None of them noticed her - too focused on the… honestly, Niko wasn't sure what they were doing. Was it was a drill of some sort? Whatever it was, she took the time to savor the sight of Asahi running up the hill. Somehow, she managed to hold back the urge to snap a picture of him.

It was only when a few of them turned to make their way back down the hill that they noticed her. Yamaguchi lifted his hand and waved at her. "Hi, Kobayash-"

He'd barely even spoken before Nishinoya and Tanaka's yells covered the sound of his voice, drowning out the rest of her name. The duo rushed down the hill, only to fall and slide down it on their backsides about a quarter of the way down. Niko lifted her hand to her mouth, trying desperately to hold back her giggling at the sight of them tumbling towards her.

That failed the moment she heard Tsukishima make a snide remark about how graceful they were. Devolving into laughter, she gripped her stomach. The two boys scrambled up, now significantly more dirt-covered than before, and rushed forward.

"Kobayashi-sempai!" "Kobayashi!" "You're here!" Choking back her laughter, Niko grinned up at the two second years.

"Indeed I am. Tanaka-kun, Nishinoya-kun. What a coincidence seeing you here." She pushed herself to her knees, then up off of the ground, pocketing her phone as she did. Both boys were quick to wrap her in a hug, still halfway yelling.

"What are you doing here?! I thought you were practicing!" Tanaka said first, pulling back with a wide grin.

Nishinoya followed him, pulling back and putting his hands on his hips as he beamed at her. "Did your practice end? How long are you here for?"

Giggling, Niko patted both boys on the shoulder. "We got a break for the day, so I came to visit Asahi - and the rest of the team, of course. I'll be here until the evening, I suppose." They whooped, and she laughed again. "But right now, I believe you guys are still practicing. Go back inside before you get in trouble!"

"Aw, but-" Before either of them could truly start, Suga came up and grabbed their shirts, tugging them away with a smile at Niko.

"Hi, Kobayashi-san. Always nice to see you. And she's right, we need to get back inside." Suga ignored the desperate whines and calls from the second years, guiding them back indoors quickly. "One minute, Asahi!" He called out over his shoulder before pushing his charges indoors.

Instantly, Niko was grinning brightly. Turning, she came face to… well, chest with Asahi. He started stepping back, one hand lifting up to press to his neck. She launched herself upwards. Niko's arms slid around his neck, and she felt his go to her waist as he stumbled backwards, caught off guard.

His skin was flushing brilliantly, and Niko caught the subtle hitch of his breath before he reigned that in… just barely. Tilting her head back, she grinned brilliantly at him. "I missed you."

The redness of his skin spread up to his ears. After only a brief moment of hesitation, he smiled a slow, unsteady smile. "I… I missed you, too." Her lips found his cheek, and his breath stuttered against her jaw. Niko took a moment to bask in the absolute bliss before she pulled back and slowly wiggled her way back to the ground.

She delighted in watching him avert his eyes and rub the back of his neck, shuffling awkwardly. When his gaze met hers again, Niko stopped biting her lip to smile at him. "You should go back inside before Dadchi comes to find you." Giggling at the thought of Daichi or Suga dragging the poor bear back inside, Niko took his hand in hers and tugged him towards the door.

"Yeah, um," Asahi swallowed, nodding slowly, "You're right- Uh. I'll go back in. Ah. Okay. Thank- Thanks." He stuttered, coming to a stop a short distance from the door. "Do you- Do you want to wait in, um, inside?"

Niko smiled softly and shook her head. "While I'd love to, I don't think that'd be fair to the other teams to add an outside distraction. I'm happy to wait for you out here." After a moment, she continued. "Honestly, I hadn't thought that you guys would come outside, otherwise I'd have waited elsewhere so I didn't distract you all. Sorry about that."

She looked up at him, only to catch him shaking his head. "No, um- you don't have to apologize. It's okay." Asahi glanced at the door before squeezing her hand lightly. "Practice should be over soon. If you change your mind, just um, come on in.." He swallowed again, and she nodded, lips curled up.

"Will do. Get back to practice now, young man!" With a laugh, Niko released his hand from her grip and backed away. Asahi shot her one more small smile before heading inside, and she slid to the ground again.

She bit her lip, covering her face with both hands as she held back a squeal of delight. It'd been just over a week since the pair had been together last, and the texting and calling was terrific, but it just wasn't the same.

Niko didn't have to wait long for practice to be over. From her spot near the door, she could hear the sound of the volleyballs slamming against the floor and voices overlapping as various teams called out to each other. Fifteen minutes after she arrived, she heard the sound of a whistle being blown and someone that she could only assume was a coach calling out to the teams, telling them to wrap it up.

The next time bodies came pouring from the gym, the eclectic colors of each team distinguished them from Karasuno. Niko leapt up from her seated position in a flash, and dashed around the players. Several of them slowed to a halt, turning slowly to watch her with varying levels of curiosity.

"Hi." Niko grinned up at Asahi when she slid to a stop in front of him. His hands slid around hers, guiding her forward and she went along willingly until they were centimeters apart. Her eyes followed the curve of his lips as they tilted upwards. Tracing the plane of his cheek to his jaw, lined with short, barely visible stubble.

When he swallowed, the motion drew her eyes downward and she found a grin spreading across her lips. Asahi's skin was being dusted with red, and how she loved watching the blush bloom across his skin.

"Um- hello- Hi." Niko shifted her gaze upwards, meeting his warm, chocolate eyes. The corners of his eyes crinkled a bit as he smiled at her. "Do, um… Do you mind if I introduce you to everyone? They've, um…" Asahi trailed off slowly as his eyes flicked to something behind her. When Niko shifted to look back, she had to hold back a laugh.

Quite a few of the players were standing and watching the duo, excited grins on their faces. When she turned to look at them, one black and silver haired player waved excitedly at her and started moving forward, only to have his shirt grabbed by a black-haired player wearing the same uniform.

"They've wanted to meet you… Since they learned I have a soulmate a few days ago… Um, you- you don't have to, though." Niko turned to face Asahi again and smiled. His absolute care for her sent a flood of warmth through her body. He always gave her a choice, and never tried to force her into anything. It was insanely sweet.

Stretching up on her tiptoes, Niko couldn't help but do a little happy dance in her head as he began to lean down to her. The little things were the best. "You're the best. I'd love to meet them." She pressed her lips to his cheek, relishing in the way his fingers tightened a fraction around her hands the moment she did. "Let's go say hi. I think I recognize that silver-haired one. Boruko? No, that's no right…"

* * *

A/N: A little later than I intended, but the week off really helped. The holidays totally threw me off and prevented me from writing for a while, so now that i'm back into the swing of things everything should be steady from now on... Keep your fingers crossed for me, ahaha! Next chapter will be Niko finally meeting the boys from the other teams, and possibly even some extra fluff between her and Asahi ;) As always, thank you so much to everyone for supporting Marks of Life and I along the way! I appreciate each and every one of you so insanely much!

eunoiapaint - I'm so happy to hear that you are enjoying it so much! I apologize for the late update this time around - I promise I'll be much more on top of things coming up :) Hope you continue enjoying their story! btw, I love the ship name!

heartdiamong - Ahhh, thank you so much! That means so much to me, honestly. I definitely will! I hope you continue to follow along with their story :D

nizem8 - Thank you so much! I appreciate your continued support! 3


	12. Unsteady Rhythm

"No, really! He was bawling the next day because they hadn't come for him!" Niko was laughing between words, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. She was pressed against Asahi's side, one arm wrapped around his waist as she gestured wildly with her free hand. "It was hilarious! He'd been absolutely convinced they'd be there that night!"

Across from her, Kuroo leaned back with a sly grin. "C'mon, even he can't be that stupid."

"I'll prove it to you!" She said between giggles, pulling her bag to her lap and digging through it for her phone. "I'll call Hajime and ask him if he remembers it. You guys have to be quiet though!" Niko gave Bokuto, Nishinoya, Tanaka, and Yamamoto pointed looks. After a brief stare down, she pulled her phone from her bag and hurriedly pulled open her contacts.

Around them, everyone began shushing each other - and only when they were totally silent did she press the call button next to Hajime's name. Instantly, she put it on speaker, and the sound of it ringing filled the silence. Two rings was all it took for him to answer.

" _Goblin."_

"Orc. I have an important question for you." A few ripples of quiet snorts of laughter rippled through the crowd around Niko, but were quickly silenced by many glares at the wrongdoers.

" _...Alright."_ Suspicion laced his voice, and Niko had to bite her lip to refrain from giggling. Beside her, Asahi bit back a smile.

Taking a deep breath, Niko launched into her question before he had a chance to back out. "Do you remember when we were ten and I convinced Tōru that aliens would come get him if he wore that one halloween costume for three days straight?"

There was a beat of silence, before a laugh-covered-by-a-cough came through the line. " _Yeah. And he cried when they never came. Then you cried when he said he hoped aliens came and you never got to play volleyball again."_

Kuroo clamped a hand over his mouth, wheezing quietly as he forced back his laughter. Niko opened her mouth to stop Hajime, but he kept rambling on, and her cheeks began to grow warmer. " _And you both cried when I told you that I wished aliens would take you away forever. Took you almost a full hour to forgive me for that. A record for you even now, I'm pretty sure."_

All around her, the majority of the players and a few of the managers were struggling to stifle their laughter. Now, with her cheeks burning brightly, Niko cut in. "Thanks!" Her voice squeaked and she could swear she was on fire. "Yeah, that's all I needed-Okay, by-"

" _Maybe aliens will still take you both away. Hi everyone listening. Your team or Goatee Ace's?"_ At this, Bokuto, Kuroo, Yamamoto, and several other players lost it. They dissolved into laughter, and she could practically hear Hajime's self-satisfied smirk. Pressing herself into Asahi's side, she let the feeling of his warmth soothe her embarrassment.

Finally, after a long pause, she spoke. "Asahi's plus members from the other teams they're practicing with, actually." A few shouts of 'hi' followed her words, and Niko rolled her eyes while biting back a grin.

This time, the reply was immediate. " _Good, then I can tell them about when we were thirteen and you-"_ His voice cut out, and Niko was lightning fast as she shoved her phone into her bag. The next moment, her face was pressed against Asahi's chest.

"Ohoho? What happened when you thirteen?" Kuroo's voice came first, followed quickly by his partner in crime.

"Ohohoho? I bet it was terrible. I wanna know!" A few bursts of laughter rippled around them and Niko was tempted to show them all the finger, but refrained. Instead, she pouted and gripped Asahi's shirt.

"Nfin." Eventually came her muffled response. Asahi's fingers brushed against the back of her neck, easing her back slowly. Niko shot him a glance before biting her lip and repeating her word. "Nothing! Anyway! Moving on!" Niko pulled Asahi's hand up, pressing her lips to his knuckles in an effort to distract her mind from the flames on her cheeks.

Of course she knew exactly what Hajime was talking about. She'd never live that down for as long as he lived. Her thirteenth birthday was an… interesting day, to put it lightly. It wasn't something she wanted everyone at the camp to hear about. Asahi would at some point, she knew. The others, though… nope, that was her most embarrassing moment in her entire life so she'd avoid that.

"...Earth to Niko!" Nishinoya's voice snapped her back to reality, and Niko jerked away from the loud decibel right by her ear. Laughing, she pressed her hand to her ear dramatically.

"Ow, talk a little louder why don't you, Nishinoya-kun?" She said between laughs, waving her hand at him. "Whaaaatttt?"

"Bokuto-san asked you a question!" The libero shouted, only slightly quieter than his previous sentence. Blinking rapidly, Niko turned to the grey and black-haired captain, who sat across from her, pouting.

She didn't have to wait long to receive an answer for her unasked question. "He thought you were ignoring him." Akaashi spoke up, deadpan expression only highlighting the mild ridiculousness of the thought. To be fair, she'd always heard that Bokuto was a bit… eccentric. To say Niko was surprised would have been a lie.

Shaking her head, Niko leaned a bit so she could meet Bokuto's dejected gaze. "I wasn't ignoring you! I just got a little lost in thought. What'd you ask me?" She said with a small smile curling her lips upwards.

It took Bokuto a moment of staring at Niko before he straightened up and grinned vibrantly. "Hey, hey, hey! That's right, I'm too great to be ignored!" Niko spluttered as she tried to cover her laugh with a cough. Unfazed, he continued forward. "Have you ever received one of Ushijima's spikes?"

Niko blinked rapidly, staring at Bokuto in what could only be considered utter confusion. A few beats of silence, then she shook her head and replied slowly. "No… why?"

Bokuto leaned forward, pressing his palms against his knees as he stared at Niko intently. "Because you're both on the national youth teams!"

Crickets followed his statement. Then Niko had to haphazardly attempt to cover her laugh with a cough, which turned into a series of half-choking sounds. Asahi's hand moved to her back, rubbing soft circles as she recovered. "Yeah, and he's on the boys' team, unlike me. We don't play together."

The cry of indignation that left his lips was met with howls of laughter from the surrounding players and managers. With tears pricking at the corners of her eyes as she tried to get her laughter under control, Niko tilted her head up to look at Asahi.

Her breath caught in her throat when she came face-to-face with him. His pupils dilated and he started to jerk back, clearly just as surprised as her at the sudden closeness. Without even thinking about it, Niko reached up to grab onto his shirt, tugging him back into place. Their faces mere centimeters apart, she could feel his erratic breathing every time he exhaled. The warm air caressed her skin, making her head go fuzzy as her eyes drifted down from his eyes.

Just as suddenly as she'd pulled him close, Niko blushed vibrantly and let go of Asahi's shirt. The two of them snapped apart, attached by the hand but neither looking at the other. A few muffled snorts and ripples of laughter only served to further their embarrassment - much to Niko's dismay.

She'd been so, so, so close to simply leaning in. Pressing her lips to his - her cheeks grew hotter, the fire under them only being fed by her thoughts. The exhilaration was making her heart beat rapidly against her ribcage, and when she chanced a glance at her soulmate, she could tell from the look on his face that he felt the same, or very similar.

When a foot reached out and nudged her leg, Niko was thankful for the distraction. Following the long leg up to the body it was connected to, she found a grinning Kuroo. "Have you two even been on a date yet?"

The question certainly was not what she'd been expecting to leave his mouth, Niko admitted to herself. After a brief pause, Niko slowly shook her head. "Uh, no, not yet. We've…" Slowly, she trailed off, turning to peer up at Asahi. His eyes were fixed to their hands, where they lay entangled between them. The pinkness of his cheeks was barely visible, and his thumb moved in slow, halting circles across the back of her hand.

"Not yet. We've both been so busy preparing for Spring High there's been no time. We will. Soon." Giving their hands a soft tug, she drew Asahi's gaze back up to her own. Giving him a vibrant smile, she nudged his shoulder with her own. "I'm not in a rush though, so it'll happen when it happens."

A slow smile spread across his face and he dipped his head in a quick nod. "We'll go soon." Niko knew without having to ask that he meant that wholeheartedly. They'd discussed dates a few times, but with their conflicting schedules it was impossible to plan anything. Before coming to Tokyo, though, the duo had agreed to going on a real date when she was back home, since she left a few days after him.

Luckily, it took only a small amount of coaxing by Daichi, Suga, and surprisingly enough, Yaku, for the volleyball players to drop the subject and move onto new topics. The rest of the evening, only a few jokes were made at the expense of the "adorable lovebirds", as many had taken to calling them.

Standing outside with the sun slowly slipping below the horizon behind them, Niko and several players and managers gathered in a circle, exchanging phone numbers. The evening had been terrific, and Niko could not say that she'd have preferred to spend it elsewhere. She'd made a ton of new friends, and had been able to spend quite a bit of time with Asahi.

As Yaku came up to her and they exchanged phones, Niko grinned at him. "Thanks for saving me more embarrassment earlier. Maybe we could hang out and talk libero sometime soon?" She laughed, handing his phone back after entering her number into his contacts.

"Hey! I wanna talk libero, too!" The shout was undeniably Nishinoya - a fact that was further proved as he slid up next to the duo. "We can all hang out sometime!" Hands on his hips, he shot them both a wide, assertive grin.

Yaku and Niko exchanged amused looks before looking at their kouhai and nodding. "Sounds like a plan." She stated with a laugh, patting the brown-haired libero's shoulder lightly. "Honestly, I'm sure someone is bound to make a group chat as well at some point, so we can always talk that way."

"Hey, hey, hey, that's a great idea!" The cheer was nearly ear-splitting, and as Niko turned to look at the perpetrator she caught sight of the captain's two managers both facepalming. "I'll do that now!" Bokuto plowed forward, not bothered in the least by the laughter and exasperation around him.

Within just a few short minutes, Niko's phone dinged, and the sound was reflected by the phones of players around her as they were all added to a giant group chat. A few groans answered the noises, some of the boys grumbling about needing to silence the chat immediately or they'd never get any sleep.

Giggling, Niko bid Yaku and Nishinoya goodbye and headed back over to Asahi, where he stood with Kuroo, Daichi, Suga, and a game-engrossed Kenma with a hyperactive Hinata practically attached to him as he tried to watch whatever game the setter was playing.

"I've got to head back to the hotel. I'll text you when I get there, okay?" Niko slid her hand into Asahi's, using the grip to tug him down. Immediately, he leaned forward and smiled as her lips landed on his cheek.

"Okay. You sure you don't want me to walk you to the station?" At the shake of her head, Asahi nodded slowly and tentatively leaned forward. Whatever words she'd been about to say died in her throat, and Niko's mind went utterly blank as his face neared hers.

She was utterly shell-shocked when his lips pressed against her cheek in return, followed by an immediate explosion of glee. Cheeks glowing with delight, she grinned vibrantly up at him when he pulled away and fixed a small smile on her. "Okay," her voice came out in a squeak, and Niko coughed to clear her throat before trying again, "Okay, wow, um. Hi. Bye? Bye- um, bye everyone!"

If she didn't know any better, she'd have thought Asahi was grinning just a little deviously when she looked back at him for a split second before she skittered away from the group. High on the feeling of elation of his lips against her cheek, she didn't even think about it until much later that night.

"He totally was! He did that on purpose!" Niko half-shouted as laid in bed that night, eyes snapping open, despite being nearly asleep. After a moment, she giggled to herself and snuggled deeper under the covers, closing her eyes again.

* * *

True to their word, Asahi and Niko met up the day after she returned from Tokyo. She'd blown off several calls and texts from Tōru and Hajime, telling them time and time again that she'd get back to them in the evening.

Asahi had been the one to suggest their date spot - a pleasant surprise, Niko admitted to herself. Standing in front of the aquarium, she had to admit she was a little giddy. Aquatic life was something she would always love, and for him to suggest this for their first date was just… incredible, in her opinion.

Despite being nearly fifteen minutes early, Niko didn't really have to worry about waiting long. Less than five minutes after she arrived, she caught sight of Asahi walking up the sidewalk in her direction. His eyes were glued to his phone as he typed something in it, oblivious to her gaze.

She felt her phone buzz in her pocket, and he looked up a moment later. Leaping up into the air, Niko called out to him, racing forward. "Asahi!" His reaction was instantaneous. A smile broke across his face and he spread his arms a little. Clearly he'd gotten used to her running-hugs. Or tackle hugs, as Tōru liked to call them.

Leaping up into his arms, Niko slid her arms around his neck just as his slid around her waist to pull her close. "Hi." She breathed the word against his ear, a soft giggle of excitement following the single syllable.

Asahi pressed his face against her shoulder, smiling softly. "Hello." The response came out muffled, as he didn't bother to pull back before replying. Despite having just seen one another less than a week ago, neither wanted to let go just yet.

While he'd initially been wary and unsure of himself when it came to hugs and physical touches of affection, Asahi found that he'd grown comfortable far quicker than he'd expected to. He was discovering facets of his own personality that he'd never really considered before Niko came into his life. Like the fact that he really enjoyed holding her in his arms, and pulling her close.

Not that Niko was ever going to complain. She could die happy in Asahi's arms. Giving a soft sigh of delight, the blonde girl pulled back slowly to grin at her soulmate. "How are you?" Gradually, the two slid apart, hands entwining between them instead. Together, they stepped forward, heading to the entrance of the aquarium.

"I'm good. Camp was great, I learned so much. We're all looking forward to putting it to work in future games. How are you?" Asahi reached forward to pull the door open for them, ushering her in before him.

"That's so awesome! You guys are gonna kill it at Spring High! I'm really good. The training week was a lot of fun. It was on a whole other level than what my school's team is, so there was a huge learning curve but it was great. I met a ton of people, and made a lot of new friends!" For a moment, Niko wondered if she should mention the less-than-exciting part of her training week… then decided against it in the next moment. Bringing up Nao when they were supposed to be enjoying themselves… shaking her head, Niko pushed the thought from her head.

"It was so fun to be around so many players of that level. I felt like I was on cloud nine pretty much the whole time." If Asahi caught onto her hesitation, he didn't show it. He listened to her rave, a smile never leaving his lips.

Talking to Asahi had never been difficult - not since the first day. Even then, it'd been so easy to simply fall into him, into the calmness that he exuded in the face of her hyperactivity. Walking through the aquarium, the duo spoke softly, bodies pressed close against one another through every step of the aquarium.

"Oooh, octopus!" Niko interrupted herself mid-sentence, voice spiking in volume as she pointed excitedly at a large tank a few feet from them. She dragged Asahi forward, oohing and aahing as she came up to stand in front of the tank.

A giant pacific octopus lay spread out along the bottom of the tank, walking languidly towards the wall. "Did you know that the largest giant Pacific octopus was nearly double the average size of the species, and more than quadruple the average weight?" Niko squealed excitedly, leaning in closer to the tank.

The vibrant red of its skin stood out against the greys, whites, and blues of the tank around it, and absolutely captivated her. "They're my favorite animal. Octopuses are so interesting, and insanely intelligent. Ahh, I could sit and watch this guy all day!" She squealed softly, pressing herself against Asahi's side in excitement.

"I'd be fine with that, if you wanted to." He nudged her softly towards a nearby bench. "We can sit and watch him for a while?" Asahi smiled down at her, and it was all she could do not to lean up and kiss him right then and there. Instead, Niko nodded rapidly and shuffled over the bench to sit down.

There, the couple sat for nearly thirty minutes, just watching the octopus and talking softly. Well, Niko was avidly watching the octopus, spewing facts and tidbits of information about the species, while Asahi spent more of his time admiring her.

When she finally paused long enough to look at the clock, Niko's skin grew warm and she stood up. "Sorry, that was-"

"A lot of interesting information." Asahi assured her, smiling and tugging her back towards him as he stood. "Maybe you can teach me about the sharks we're about to see, too." His lips curled up in a grin, and she laughed, nudging him with her shoulder.

"It'd be my honor. Onward!"

By the time they exited the aquarium, Asahi was positive he'd learned more during that three hour-long trip than he'd ever learned in any biology lesson. Niko was so immensely passionate about the aquatic life that it was amazing to see. He couldn't help but listen to her, giving her all of his attention.

She'd tried to apologize a couple times for talking so much, but the brown-haired ace was quick to reassure her and ask her to continue. Yet another thing she'd have be daydreaming about later, Niko was certain.

Now, the duo were making their way to a nearby shop to pick up lunch on their way to the park. It was while they were walking that Niko came to the conclusion that Asahi was genuinely the best thing to ever happen to her. Staring up at his slightly messy bun, the stubble that decorated his jaw and chin, and the way his mouth moved when he spoke, she told herself several times that if it weren't for his hand in hers, she'd be convinced she was dreaming.

She moved into the shop with him like in a trance, replying softly to his words and prompts every now and then, but remaining engrossed in him. It wasn't even that she found purpose in him, it was just that she found… solace. Utter comfort. Complete contentment.

Niko could honestly say that while she'd found her own purpose long ago, Asahi brought her pure joy. In his presence, she never had to try and be anyone else. She never had to be concerned about anything - besides how much she truly enjoyed being with him. If she could do this every single day, there was no doubt in her mind that she absolutely would.

It was these thoughts that led Niko to stop Asahi as they walked in the park. The bag with their food tucked in his arm, he turned to her with questioning eyes when she tugged his hand and pulled him to a stop. When she pulled her hand from his, she could see the inner corners of his brows turn up, and his lips start to dip at the corners.

It wasn't until her hands were wrapped around his neck and she'd pulled him down towards her that what was happening began to set in for him. His breath stalled in his chest, and then he found himself wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close. Niko's eyes fluttered shut just as she lifted her head and pressed her lips to his. Asahi's widened, before slowly falling closed as he pressed her body to his.

Fireworks, a lightning storm, volcanic eruptions… none of it was nearly enough to describe the feeling that washed over both of them. Electricity zipped between them, running along their skin, zapping their hearts into overdrive. Asahi's skin grew warm, and he knew without even having to look that Niko was just as red as he.

Too soon, they parted, short of breath and hazy-eyed. A moment later, Asahi leaned in and their lips met again. Slowly moving against one another, their clumsy kiss gradually settled into more fluid motion until they had to part for a breath again.

Niko and Asahi stared at one another with wide eyes and bright blushes on their skin. "Oh." Was all that Niko managed to say as she pressed her fingers to her lips, savoring the feeling of his against them. Asahi straightened slowly, pressing his lips together as he fumbled for the right thing to say.

He didn't have to fumble for long, it seemed. A slow grin curled up the corners of Niko's lips, and that was all the warning he received before she pulled him back down and kissed him again. The bag with their food lay on the ground between them, and bystanders alternated between smiling and laughing, and averting their eyes from the happy couple.

* * *

A/N: Ahhh, finally an update! I am so sorry for the delay. Honestly, life took a baseball bat the back of my head repeatedly over the month of December. I'm glad to be back on track.. kind of! This chapter is more fluff than anything, but it was necessary for the story at the same time. Asahi and Niko are finally taking first steps! I hope you all enjoy this, and as always thank you so much for all of your support!

nizem8 - Ahaha, they definitely are! I intend on showing more of them, plus Kuroo, Yaku, and many others in some future chapters. They're gonna all get along so well!

eunoiapaint - Aww thank you so much! I'm sorry I made you wait for so long! I promise future chapters will not come with such huge delays between them! I am very happy to hear that you like that part of her. Niko is honestly a character that was a little hard for me to write at times, because I'm not the type of person who can so easily brush off things like that, but she was one that I felt I needed to write because she inspires me every day as well! I'm just going to say... no comment on the last bit, though :p

pansyandy - aww, thank you for your support! I'm sorry you had to wait so long for this chapter!

poprockie - Oh my gosh, thank you! I am very happy that you are enjoying it! Thank you for your support :D

Aiko-sensei - I completely agree! There are so few stories for him, and he's genuinely one of my favorites - if not my favorite. I am so happy to hear that you enjoy Marks of Life so much, and are recommending it to your friends! That makes me so excited :) You are so utterly sweet, I can't even express how much you saying that means to me. Thank you so, so much! I'm sorry you had to wait so long for an update, but I promise a long delay like that won't happen again! I hope you had a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday as well!

Guest - Sorry I disappeared for so long! I am back now :) Thank you for your support!


	13. Honesty is the Best Policy

The air was filled with the sounds of panting, squeaking shoes, and the bounce of a volleyball against the floor. The girls' youth team had been practicing for several hours, as per usual. Since the first week in July, the team had convened once bi-weekly to practice. Practice always landed on Saturday, and the team always spent the entire day practicing - minus resting/meal times. It was a routine that Niko had easily fallen into.

The ball went up in the air, and Niko opened her mouth, calling it as she stepped forward to receive the heavy spike. Just as she did, another body came into her peripheral vision. Just a moment later, the person's body slammed into hers and sent her sprawling as they received the ball. Jaw clenching, the blonde stood up.

That was unfortunately the other routine Niko had gotten used to - not that she enjoyed it. Nao had maken it her duty to push Niko around on the court. Getting in the way of her receives, slamming into her and knocking her around, aiming her powerhouse spikes at her during practice - more often than not directly at her face. Not to mention, she'd started berating her off of the court as well.

It was always in secret, when none of the other girls or coaches were around. Unsurprising, as the first time Nao made a snide comment about Niko's personality and looks, she was met with reproachful stares and disdainful comments about her - from the rest of the team. After that, she chose to verbally attack the libero when there was no audience. Not to mention, Niko had quite a few nasty text messages from her.

She's say it was beginning to annoy her, but it was long past just beginning to. And it was encroaching upon the territory of not just annoying her, but truly pissing her off. She came to play volleyball, not to get pushed around and bullied for no damn reason.

As she stood up fully, the whistle blew - the coaches calling a timeout. "What the hell was that, Tanaka? Niko clearly called the ball - be more aware of your surroundings!" Coach Hisakawa barked out, watching the wing spiker with narrowed eyes. "Are you alright, Niko? Nothing bent or broken?"

A crooked grin formed on the girl's lips and she shook her head. "I'm fine, thanks Coach!" The snort of derision that Nao released went unheard by the coaches. However, when she put a sweet face on and looked over, she spoke up loudly.

"Sorry, coach! I was just so into the game, I forgot to pay attention to everyone else!" Niko could barely contain the snort of derision that tried to escape her. Even the other girls looked at Nao with frowns and dubious expressions on their faces.

"Alright, don't let it happen again." He said, watching Nao carefully. Once he received a nod of agreement, he blew the whistle and ended the timeout.

Nao didn't slam into Niko again after that. That's not to say she suddenly was all sunshines and rainbows, though. Every time she was near, Nao managed to 'accidentally' get in Niko's way, or her foot just 'happened' to be there when Niko went to move across the court. One more than one occasion, she nearly tripped the libero.

When practice was finally called to an end, Niko was the first off of the court and into the locker room. A shower would help cool her head off, she hoped. Lightning fast, she grabbed her bag of clothes and dashed to the showers. By the time the others were trickling in, she was already under the stream of water, washing off the sweat. Around her, several of the others turned on showers and began the same routine.

Less than ten minutes later, Niko wrapped a towel around her body and stepped out of the shower. With bag in hand, she walked back into the other half of the locker room to get dressed.

"Nice playing today, Niko. You really managed to wow everyone out there." The sound of Nao's sarcasm-filled voice broke her from her thoughts. One, then two deep breaths in, and Niko simply reached in her bag to grab her undergarments. "C'mon, no need to ignore me. Just congratulating you on a game well played."

Slipping her underwear on under the towel, Niko continued to ignore the other girl. When she pulled her towel off and set it aside, she made a point of not turning in Nao's direction. "Well, fine, if you want to be rude I can, too." A shock, really. Niko rolled her eyes. Obviously she'd played pretty badly today. Nao had made sure of that.

As she pulled her bra on, Nao came to stand in front of her, smirking. "Honestly, I don't know why you don't just quit already. You'd be doing the team a favor." Turning, Niko pulled her pants from her bag and slid them on. "Hey, so, I have a question. How disappointed do you think your soulmate is going to be when he realizes that under your clothes, you're actually pretty manly?"

Niko's fingers clenched around the hem of her pants as she yanked them up her legs. Pulling out a simple t-shirt from her bag, she slid that on next. "What a travesty, honestly. Boy-like body, and barely a scrap of genuine talent to make up for it. He's really getting the shit end of the deal, isn't he?" Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest, and an iron hand had reached in to grasp her lungs. She'd dealt with weeks of Nao berating her, and now the girl was moving on to her relationship?

Initially, Niko had brushed off the comments and even replied good-naturedly. She still did, for the most part. It wasn't the fact that she thought Nao's words were truthful. No, she knew that the girl was simply trying to push her buttons and being mean just to be mean. It was the fact that it was constant.

Closing her eyes, Niko chose to ignore the voice of the girl standing above her while she tied her shoes. Deep breath, deep breath, deep breath she told herself over and over again. Once she was fully dressed, she stood and grabbed her bag without a word to Nao. Instead, she turned and began walking to the door of the locker room.

"Oi, I was talking to you, idiot." A hand grabbed the back of her shoulder, and suddenly Niko was stumbling forward. Dropping her bag in the process, she caught herself on the lockers. One, two, Niko picked up her bag and straightened up, walking out of the locker room without a glance in Nao's direction. The wing spiker did not follow her out.

* * *

 **Goblin Queen**

 _20:51_

 _Raise your hand if your parents aren't home_

 **Trashykawa**

 _20:53_

 _Mine r gon 4 th week_

 _y?_

 **Haji-Paji**

 _20:53_

 _Not it_

 **Goblin Queen**

 _20:54_

 _If I bring cookies, can we have a movie night?_

 **Haji-Paji**

 _20:55_

 _Not like you to request a movie night._

 _You ok?_

 **Trashykawa**

 _20:56_

 _Wat he said_

 _But ye, com ovr whnever_

 **Goblin Queen**

 _20:57_

 _I'll explain when I get there_

 _On my way_

 **Trashkawa**

 _20:59_

 _Goatee btr not hav don anythn_

 **Haji-Paji**

 _21:00_

 _Be there in five_

It'd been during the train ride home that Niko decided that she needed a distraction. And possibly some advice from her best friends. She'd called Asahi, but she so desperately wanted to keep things upbeat and positive with him that she hadn't brought up the subject with him. It was silly, she admitted to herself, though.

Asahi was her comfort… but Hajime and Tōru had been there with her through absolutely everything. They'd been her safe zone for so long, it was habit to go back to them. It felt natural. She'd tell Asahi soon, though, she promised herself.

After telling her parents that she was going to have movie night with the boys, Niko grabbed the bag containing cookies she'd bought on her way home, extra clothes, and dashed out the door. Her phone vibrated in her pocket, and she made a mental note to check it when she got to Tōru's house.

"I'm home, trash!" Niko called out as she opened the front door of the Oikawa household. Grinning to herself as an indignant squawk sounded from the living, she laughed and kicked the door shut behind her lightly.

In the living room, Tōru and Hajime were already on the couch with their shoes off and feet propped up on the coffee table. Hajime held a remote in his hand, flipping through movies. The seat between them was unoccupied. "Ahh, good, you peasants have saved my seat for me. Thank you!" She laughed as she trotted over and sat down between them.

"So what do we want to watch?" Hajime asked, looking over at Niko with a raised brow. She pulled the bag off of the box of cookies and opened it, pointing it at Tōru first.

"Pick your poison, Tō." Host always got first dibs. It was a rule the trio had made back when they were in junior high. Although they didn't have as many movie nights now as they once had, the rule was never forgotten. Tōru's face lit up, and he sat up a bit to look into the box.

Meanwhile, Niko looked at Hajime and shrugged. "I dunno, whatever you want." At this, his eyes narrowed. Tōru managed to snag three cookies before Niko remembered he was still scrounging for more and yanked the box back. "Oi, trashykawa, don't touch _all_ of the cookies with your grubby hands!"

"My hands are not grubby!" Said setter pouted, shoving a cookie into his mouth unceremoniously. Niko had to choke back a laugh at the image of him with a cookie haphazardly hanging from his mouth, glaring at her.

When the box was shifted towards Hajime, he was quick to grab two cookies and push the box back into Niko's lap. "Alright, since the goblin is being weird, I'll pick the movie. Horror it is." Immediately, Niko whipped around to stare at him wide-eyed.

"NO! Absolutely not!" She half-yelled, scrambling to grab the remote from his hand. "Give me the remote! I'm gonna pee my pants if we watch a horror film!"

"Like you did when we watched-"

"Shut up! No, no horrors. Action or comedy, pleeeeeaaaassseee!" Niko alternated between glaring at the grinning Tōru for trying to bring up the time they'd scared the piss out of her during movie night - quite literally - and staring at Hajime pleadingly.

There was a brief pause, then Hajime smirked. "Fine. Action." Niko nodded, releasing the remote that both of them had been gripping tightly. She picked out three cookies from the box, then closed the lid and set it on the coffee table. Settling back in her seat, she nibbled on the cookie slowly as Hajime found and started their movie.

The next two and a half hours were spent with the trio devouring the rest of the box of cookies, and watching the screen intently. The frequent - and unnecessary - commentary from Tōru was the only reason any of them spoke. He'd comment on some aspect, and Niko would jab his side and tell him to shut up, which would then start an avalanche of the two bickering until Hajime shut them both up.

Even so, by the time the credits were rolling, Niko had spent the time laughing more than she had in several days. Being around her best friends was definitely the best distraction she could've asked for. She didn't know what she'd do without the two of them in her life.

Which was why, once the movie cut off, she took a deep breath and came clean with them. "It's not about Asahi." Were the first words out of her mouth - a good choice, as Hajime immediately relaxed and sunk back into the couch. Tōru even let out a small sigh of relief before nudging her with his foot to continue.

There was no need for a lead-up into the conversation. Hajime and Tōru had known something was up the moment she requested movie night - and she was well aware of that. "This girl, Tanaka, in the youth championship is…" Niko paused, unsure of the best way to put it. A deep breath, then she nodded and chose complete honesty.

"She's been bullying me since the first day of the camp." Both males sat up straighter, leaning in towards her. Niko knew that if she glanced at either one, they'd be wearing matching scowls. "Name calling, interfering with my practice by tripping me or slamming into me, aiming every single spike at me - but at my ankles, or my shoulders, or even my face. Talking about my 'lack of talent', my 'terrible' personality. Commenting on my looks, on Asahi…"

It was there that Niko lost some of the steam she'd built up. Biting her lip, she chewed on it nervously as her eyes began burning with unshed tears. "It's not even- I don't care about her stupid remarks about my talent, I can even tolerate her being aggressive on the court." As she spoke, Hajime and Tōru slid closer to her and wrapped an arm around her lightly. "It's just- I know I don't have-"

Niko took in a shaky breath, still alternating between shaky breaths and blinking back the feeling of tears that threatened to spill. "I don't have a feminine figure - I don't- I'm not, like, attractive- I've barely got any- any fucking boobs, and- my skin isn't soft and I always have bruises." The longer she continued speaking, the more her eyes burned. Until finally, tears began to leak. "What if he hates it? What if he's disappointed by- by the me- by what's under my clothes?"

Just like that, the dam broke. This was where all of Niko's insecurities lay. She could deflect comments that pertained solely to her - the logical side of her never let those comments get under her skin. Before she'd met Asahi, even comments about her looks never bothered her. Now, though… it was uncharted territory. Murky waters.

She wanted to be the best soulmate for him, she wanted him to be completely happy, but what if when they got to the next steps in their relationship… he was upset that she wasn't the perfect girl? That's what guys wanted, right? Soft skin, supple body, bouncy breasts - not muscles, calluses, and hard lines. What if her body didn't…

"Niko." Hajime's voice broke through her quickly darkening thoughts and made her lift her head to look at him. By now, she was pressed against Hajime's side, with Tōru's arms firmly around her waist in a tight hug. "Look, I don't know Goatee, so I can't speak for him - but any guy would be lucky to have you. You're dedicated, hard working, talented- no, look at me."

He stopped, reaching forward to flick her chin when she looked away from him, unwilling or unable to accept his words as truth. Only once she was staring at him again did he continue. "And the fact is, everyone's bodies are different. Just because you don't look like the supermodels on television doesn't mean you aren't pretty. Goatee is lucky to have you - and if he ever makes you feel like you aren't good enough, he can answer to us."

"Yeah, you're super cute, Chibi-chan. Everyone knows that. It's why half the team is crushing on you." Tōru grinned, resting his chin on her shoulder. Even as she started to roll her eyes, he continued. "You broke poor Watari-kun's heart when you found your soulmate in Karasuno." That got a soft giggle out of the girl and she lightly jabbed him with her elbow.

"Shut up, you bum." Niko's lips curled up into an involuntary grin, and she reached up to wipe her tears. On her other side, Hajime rolled his eyes at Tōru's words, but the corners of his lips quirked up at the corners just barely.

"Have you told anyone else? Your coaches? Parents?" Instantly, Niko shook her head - earning a frown and sigh from Hajime. "You should. That girl - she's not going to go away just because you ignore her, which is probably what you've been doing up until now." When he raised a brow at her, all the libero did was shift her gaze away guiltily. The only downside to having best friends that knew you like the back of their hands, she supposed.

There was a beat of silence, then Tōru was talking. "She's ruining the team for you. Plus...A player like her will only bring the entire team down - if she'll do it to you, she'll probably do it to anyone else. You need to report her to your coaches, Chibi-chan." A rare moment of total seriousness from him… but Niko knew it was well-deserved.

"More than that…" When Tōru continued talking, she shifted to look up at him curiously. "You need to talk to Goatee." The words came out quickly, begrudgingly. Like even suggesting that left a bad taste in his mouth. A small laugh escaped Niko, which she quickly stifled with her hand.

Hajime chuckled, reaching over to whack the back of Tōru's head lightly. "Surprisingly enough, I agree with Shittykawa on this. You won't feel completely at ease until you talk to Goatee about it." His eyes narrowed as he watched Niko bite her lip again. "Don't even start about wanting to keep him happy. If he's even a half decent soulmate, he'll want you to completely honest with him so you can fix these insecurities."

Both boys fell silent, watching Niko as she contemplated what they'd said. Her eyes still burned - now due to the after effects of crying, and when she licked her lips she could taste the salt of her tears. No one spoke for several minutes, until the blonde finally opened her mouth. "Let me think about it. I don't- I don't want to bother him."

Hajime stiffened against her side, and Niko hurried to continue. "I know- I need to. I just… I want to think about what… what I'll say. And I," She paused, taking a deep breath in, "will tell him when the time's right…" It was her turn to look up with a surprisingly firm gaze at Hajime and then Tōru.

The pair of them paused, glancing at one another before sighing and nodding. It was as good as they would get with her for now. Once Niko made her mind up about something… they'd need more than just words to convince her to change it. "Can we watch another movie now?... Comedy, please?"

It didn't take any convincing for Hajime and Tōru to agree. Everyone dropped the subject for the time being, and the boys began focusing on simply making her have a blast that evening. Tōru took it upon himself to talk over nearly three-quarters of the film, ad-libbing scenes and replacing dialogue with bits of his own, er, creativity. Even Hajime joined in a couple times - though that was mostly to poke fun at the setter.

When the second movie ended, a third was started immediately, and Niko spent nearly the entire time laughing. By the end of the night, she swore she had stomach cramps from giggling too much. Flicking the television off, Tōru stood up and stretched. "Time for sleep~ Race you to the bathroom!"

He took off in a sprint, and Niko tore out of Hajime's loose grip and was after him in a heartbeat. "NO, you take forever in there! Let me in first! I'll be quick, I promise!" She yelled after him - futile efforts as they were. He simply cackled and began taking the stairs two at a time. On the ground floor, Hajime looked over at the stairs and sighed.

"Idiots." He said to himself as he got up, grabbing the trash from the cookies and drinks they'd acquired midway through the night to throw away. After depositing them in the kitchen trash bin, he walked down the hall into the bathroom. "They always forget there's two bathrooms in here."

Upstairs, Niko had tackled Tōru at the top of the stairs and had basically used him as a springboard to get in front of him. "Host gets the bathroom, they're the rules!" Tōru called out desperately behind her as he scrambled to stand. His response? An evil grin and wink shot back at him - right before she slammed the door in his face and locked it.

The trio ended up in Tōru's bedroom just after four in the morning, with Niko collapsing into a shapeless pile onto an air mattress the setter had blown up prior to her arrival. Ages ago, it'd taken some convincing to get their parents to let them have sleepovers with all of them in the same bedroom, but by now it was tradition. Tōru and Hajime shared the bed, and Niko got the air mattress. At Hajime's house, she used the guest bedroom, and at her house the boys slept on a spare mattress that her family had kept specifically for these movie nights.

Just as suddenly as she'd collapsed onto the bed, Niko bolted up. "AH! I forgot to check my texts!" She leapt up, scrambling to grab her phone from Tōru's desk, where it was attached to a charger. Hajime looked over at her and rolled his eyes as he sat on the edge of the alien-sheet-covered bed. "Nooooo, ah, I'm so terrible. Hold on- wait no, he's asleep by now probably. Damnit."

Niko's lower lip jutted out in a pout as she stared at her open messages, disappointment coursing through her. She was usually so fast to reply, and he'd definitely noticed… and had worried.

 **Asahi**

 _21:04_

 _Hi. How're you?_

 _Hope you had a good day :)_

 _22:59_

 _Are you alright?_

 _1:06_

 _Goodnight, Niko 3 seems like you were busy, so hopefully you had a good night :)_

 _Sleep well_

Tōru chose then to come over and read over her shoulder. "Tell him you were with the most important men in your life." He reached over her shoulder, grabbing for her phone. Niko pulled it off the charger and darted out from in front of him before he could lay a finger on the precious device.

"Absolutely not, you demon." Niko glared at him, before looking down and rapidly typing out a series of short texts to her soulmate.

 **Niko**

 _4:16_

 _I AM SO SORRY!_

 _Oh my gosh, I'm so, so sorry :(_

 _I was having movie night with Tōru and Hajime_

 _and I totally forgot to text you back earlier_

 _my phone's been on silent and omg I'm so sorry!_

 _I had a good night, though, thank you!_

 _I hope you did too 3 Sweet dreams_

 _will definitely talk more in the morning! 3 I'm sorry again :(_

Sitting on Tōru's bed to Hajime, she whined and fell backwards. "I am a moron. I totally forgot to text him earlier…"

"He'll live. You didn't need to apologize that much. It was only a few hours, hobgoblin." Hajime kicked her lightly as he shifted to lay down. "Now get in your own bed." The next kick was harsher, and sent the girl sliding off of the bed with a thump.

"Ow, you ass! Just for that, I'm not cooking breakfast tomorrow." Getting up, she stuck her tongue out at the ace, who simply flipped her off before rolling over to face the wall. Locking her phone, she plugged it back into the charger. "Touch it and you'll die, Oinkykawa." Niko pointed at him, glaring menacingly until said setter raised his arms innocently and slunk to his bed.

"Night, hoes." Niko chirped as she settled in under the covers on her air mattress. She received two half-hearted, grumbled replies before everyone fell into silence. Eventually, the trio drifted to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Niko and Hajime rose from their slumbers nearly simultaneously. Sitting up and yawning, both of them took a few minutes to wake up before looking at one another. "Jog?" Niko asked.

Hajime nodded, shoving Tōru's legs out of the way so he could get off of the bed. Despite this, their friend remained dead asleep - causing both to snicker. "Meet you downstairs in twenty." Niko yawned, getting up to stretch before grabbing her bag of clothes, phone, and toothbrush. Hajime simply waved a hand at her as he grabbed his own bag and walked out of the room.

After they both showered, dressed, and brushed their teeth, they left the house together. They began at a fairly light pace, before gradually increasing their speed. After five laps around the neighborhood, Niko was leading the way home. "C'mon old man, can't keep up?" She turned around, jogging backwards as she grinned at Hajime.

"I'll drop your food." The simple threat was more than enough to shut her up. Laughing, Niko turned and began jogging back to Tōru's house.

"OI! ALIEN BOY!" Niko yelled at the top of her lungs the moment she opened the door. "WE'RE BACK WITH FOOD!"

"I knew you guys loved me." Tōru came out of the kitchen, smiling widely as he approached Niko.

"You have to get it from Hajime if you want to eat it, though."

"What?! No, that's not fair!"

Niko simply cackled in response.

* * *

A/N: A small step forward in the progress of Niko's honesty about her insecurities, I'd say! The next few chapters will be a little bit of a whirlwind, so I hope everyone is safely buckled in :p As always, thank you all to everyone who continues to support me! You all are terrific, and are the reasons I continue to write :)

pansyandy - Thank you so much! I'm so sorry you had to wait so long. Don't worry - that will happen... veeeerrryyyy soon. [coughnextchaptercough] But shhh, it's a secret ;) Again, thank you! Things have definitely smoothed out for me :)

eunoiapaint - Awww, thank you! I'm so happy you're enjoying it!

ktbelle1313 - Oh my gosh, thank you! I appreciate your kind words! Asahi is absolutely one of my favorites :) I plan to - so I truly, and deeply, appreciate your support! :D


	14. A Surprisingly United Front

Two days after Niko spilled everything to Tōru and Hajime, the libero still had not spoken to any of her teachers, the coaches, or her parents about what was going on. Not only that, she had still managed to dodge that conversation with Asahi several times. Every time she was questioned by one of the dastardly duo, Niko danced around and made excuses for not doing so.

" _He's busy practicing, I don't want to distract him."_

" _It's too late, I'll text him tomorrow."_

" _I've been busy today."_

" _I just forgot."_

" _He won't want to hear about my silly insecurities, so it's okay."_

It frustrated both of her best friends to no end. No matter what they did, they couldn't get through to her that Asahi would want to know and that keeping it from him was worse than whatever he might say when she told him.

Those same feelings of frustration that Tōru and Hajime felt on the subject were what led them to the gymnasium they were now standing outside of. The only sounds coming from within were the voices of the players, and the distinct sounds of cleanup time - meaning the duo had arrived just when they'd wanted to.

Tōru stood just behind Hajime's shoulder, surprisingly quiet. Reaching forward, Hajime gripped the handle of the grey sliding door to pull it open. The sound of the door had made several players turn towards the entrance, so when Hajime glanced over the volleyball team most of them were staring with wide eyes.

"Great King?!" The orange-haired shrimp was the first to speak. "What are you guys doing here?!" Hinata was in front of them in a flash, standing with his hands on his hips as he stared up at them. "Come to forfeit Spring High already?"

Where Hajime simply raised a brow at the ball of fire, Tōru scoffed and stepped out from behind his friend. "Like we'd do that. You should be the ones begging for our mercy, Shrimpy-chan." The grin that the setter wore was quickly turning devilish as he looked down at Hinata. A sharp slap to the back of his head from Hajime forced a whine from his mouth.

"We're here for Goa-Azumane." Hajime covered up the near-lapse of judgement with a cough as he corrected himself. He'd been calling Asahi 'Goatee' so regularly that he'd nearly… Well, nonetheless. His gaze shifted to watch as his fellow ace straightened up with a frown and took a step forward.

"Is Niko-"

"Not here. Just us. We need to talk to you." Hajime grabbed Tōru's shirt and yanked him back next to him as the setter began inching towards Kageyama with a wicked grin. "Keep at it, and I will throw you in the nearest dumpster, Trashykawa." His next words came with more bite, and he narrowed his eyes at his friend.

"What? I wasn't doing anything!" Pouting, Tōru brushed Hajime's hands off of him before putting his hands on his hips and looking at Asahi. "Goblin is being an idiot. You are the Goblin whisperer. Therefore, you need to come with us." A sigh escaped Hajime's mouth.

While it wasn't quite how he'd have put it, it seemed mildly effective as Asahi began walking towards them. Hajime had to admit to himself that it'd been a gamble coming here. A gamble he was pretty sure they'd win, but it still could've gone wrong. Neither of them knew Asahi, and were not one what could be considered 'friendly' terms with his team.

Despite that, when Tōru had brought up the idea to go to Karasuno to retrieve their friend's soulmate, Hajime had no qualms agreeing. Despite his moronic exterior, Tōru was extremely smart - and fiercely protective of Niko just like Hajime was. It'd been of no surprise to the ace when he'd suggested it.

With the rest of Karasuno watching curiously, Hajime waited patiently for Asahi to stop in front of them. Daichi and Suga were hovering nearby, clearly unsure whether or not they should approach. "Ah, Daichi- could I…" Asahi shifted his gift to his captain, motioning vaguely.

A quick glance around the gym showed that there was still some cleanup to be done, so Hajime shrugged off jacket and looked over at Daichi. "We'll help you finish cleaning up, if you want." Yet before Daichi could reply, the ace was already throwing his jacket against the wall before walking towards the net, which had yet to be taken down.

"Sure, thanks." Daichi smiled, catching up to Hajime easily. "Everything alright with Kobayashi-chan?" He glanced over as he spoke, stepping onto a chair to begin dismantling the other end of the net. Behind them, Tōru let out a dramatic whine before ever-so-slowly meandering onto the court, collecting balls and tossing them into the cart as he went.

"Eh. She's got stuff going on." Hajime frowned, pausing long enough to help Daichi fold the net. "She needs to talk to Azumane about it, but keeps making excuses" He bent down, pulling the shortened pole from the ground easily. He carried it in both arms, earning a raised brow from Karasuno's captain, but no other commentary. "We came to see if he'll go to her house to talk to her. She can't make excuses if he's right in front of her."

Less than a meter away, Asahi frowned as he straightened after picking up another volleyball. Tōru chose that moment to come up beside him and speak. "If you say no, we'll just stuff you in a bag and take you anyway." When Asahi jumped in surprise at the sudden voice beside him, Tōru simply began laughing. "I'm joking. Probably." Just as quickly as the setter came, he went.

Slowly, the team grew more comfortable having the two Aoba Johsai players help with their cleanup. Despite receiving several perplexed looks from the members, Hajime and Tōru were quick to simply fall into their own rhythm. Daichi and Hajime hit it off surprisingly well, and spent the rest of cleanup talking to one another. Tōru, on the other hand…

"Wow, Shrimpy-chan, if you keep going at that pace, we'll be done by the time I'm fifty." The setter stated with a good-natured smile on his lips. Hinata had been pulling the scoreboard towards their equipment room at what Tōru had deemed 'slug slow'. As the orange-haired firecracker let out an indignant squawk, his senpai simply hummed and threw the last volleyball into the cart.

Grabbing the handles, Tōru pushed it towards the storeroom and slid it inside surprisingly neatly. "Now!" He shouted and whipped around - making several nearby players jump at his loud tone. "Goatee Ace!" Hajime glanced over, eyes narrowed dangerously. Despite the laugh-covered-by-a-cough that escaped Daichi's lips at the nickname, it wasn't enough to convince the ace not to teach his friend some manners.

A quick glance around the gym let Hajime know there was one ball left - and Kageyama stood with it in his hands. "Kageyama." The first year visibly stiffened and his eyes widened a bit as he slowly turned towards Hajime. With one brow lifted, the third year held out a hand. "Can I see that ball for a sec?"

For a moment, it seemed like Kageyama was going to decline - he gripped the ball a bit tighter and brought it closer to him. Then, he nodded and threw the ball up, hitting it with his fist as it came down. Hajime caught the ball and lifted it up in one hand as he glared at Tōru's back.

Oblivious to the dangers he was about to face, Tōru walked up to Asahi and put his hands on his hips. Staring up at him with the most innocent smile he could muster, the words he said next were in direct contradiction with the look he wore. "If you even think about making Niko cry, I will crush you-" Asahi's eyes had widened marginally and he'd opened his mouth to reply when the lone volleyball suddenly connected with the back of Tōru's head… quite harshly.

One hand clamped to the back of his head, Tōru whirled around and came face to face with Hajime. Immediately, his hands went up and he laughed. "C'mon Iwa-chan, that was mean. I was just-" He shut up when his friend grabbed the volleyball again and held it towards him threateningly with a scowl on his face.

"Ah, no, uh- No problem, Iwaizumi-san. I get it." Asahi had lifted his hand, rubbing the back of his neck lightly as he looked at the duo. He was surprisingly forgiving for someone who'd just been on the end of overprotective Tōru. Another point in his favor, Hajime noted to himself.

Through the months since Asahi and Niko had met, she'd always been so eager to talk to Hajime and Tōru about her soulmate. She would sit and talk about him, about things that he said or did, their plans, and everything in between for hours on end if they let her. Hajime could never bring himself to ask her to talk about something else. As much as he adored her… he didn't need to know every detail of their relationship.

Yet he remained quiet, because he knew she needed it. She needed to talk about it, she needed to share it with them because that was her - she was so incredibly happy, she wanted to simply revel in it. He'd be a pretty shit friend if he didn't let her do that, Hajime had told himself. All those talks with Niko had proven to him one thing, though. Asahi was a genuinely nice person, and despite not knowing him directly, Hajime would be willing to bet he'd never do anything to upset their little libero on purpose.

"Stop being a moron, Trashykawa. We need him to be willing to come with us." Hajime slowly let his hand fall to his side as he glared at Tōru. After another moment, he glanced to the side and tossed the ball to Kageyama. "Thanks. Everything done, Sawamura?" He shifted to look at the captain as he came over.

Laughing, Daichi nodded. "Yeah. Thanks for helping. Feel free to kidnap Asahi now. Or should I call him Goatee Ace?" Sugawara came up beside his captain, laughing brightly. Luckily for Tōru, it seemed they had taken to the nickname for their teammate. How he'd have managed to explain that one away, Hajime didn't know. Luckily he didn't have to find out.

"As long as he's returned in one piece, we don't mind." Sugawara grinned, coming up to clap Asahi on the back. As the ace stumbled forward, Suga looked at Tōru with a brilliant grin. "He'll be in your care, then." If the setter noticed the sour look on Aoba Johsai's captain's face, he gave no indication. "Alright, get your stuff together and let's head out."

The loitering players snapped into action, dashing to finish last touches before they began making their way outside. Hajime and Tōru followed the group out of the gymnasium, only to stop a few feet from the door. "We'll wait here for you to change." Hajime said to Asahi, shoving his hands into his pockets. Asahi simply nodded, heading towards the locker room with the rest of his team.

* * *

The subsequent walk to the station and train ride back to their city was silent for the Aoba Johsai duo and their 'hostage', as Tōru had taken to calling him in their group chat with the rest of their volleyball team.

Once they stepped off of the train, Hajime shifted the bag slung across his shoulder and nodded. "We live like ten minutes away, so may as well explain some of it now." He shot a glance towards Tōru, then at Asahi, before looking ahead of himself. Asahi sped up a bit, walking next to him. "Niko's being a trash goblin. She's got stuff going on with that international youth camp."

He paused for a moment, debating on whether to tell him more. No, that'd be better to leave to Niko. "I won't go into detail, because she needs to be the one to talk to you about it. Long story short, though, something was said that is upsetting her. Rather than talk about it, she's choosing to ignore the problem." His eyes narrowed a fraction, and Hajime subconsciously gripped the bag a bit tighter.

"We told her to talk to you." Tōru came up on Asahi's other side, huffing a bit. "She keeps saying she will, but then comes up with some idiot excuse not to-"

"Which is why," Hajime looked at his friend with a frown, "we chose to take you to her. If we can't convince her to talk to someone else about it, then maybe you can. Because part of it has to do with you."

There was a long pause between that and the next time anyone spoke. Asahi walked silently, hands in his pockets as he mulled over their words. "Are you… sure she's going to be okay with me just showing up?" He frowned, half mumbling the words. As to be expected, from what Hajime knew of his personality.

He nodded. "Yeah. We'll let her parents know what's up, then let you take over."

"She'll be h-happy to see you." Tōru spoke the words with great difficulty, grimacing and sticking his tongue out in disgust. It was progress, Hajime supposed. Despite his antics, Tōru was happy for their friend - even if he refused to admit it out loud yet due to her soulmate being from a rival school.

Asahi nodded, paying no mind to the mild hesitation Tōru had exhibited. "Alright…" The trio fell silent once again - none of them knowing quite what to say now. It wasn't like Hajime or Tōru could explain the situation, and Asahi was too focused on trying to figure out what was going on with Niko to even think about holding a halfway decent conversation.

The rest of the walk to the Kobayashi household was spent in mildly uncomfortable silence. If Hajime didn't know any better, Tōru even sighed in relief when they stepped up to the front door. The setter was quick to yank the door open and walk right inside, whereas Asahi froze and wavered between following and waiting outside.

"It's fine, we're part of her family by this point in time. Her parents won't mind you coming in." Hajime paused, waiting for Asahi to walk in before him. He got where the taller ace was coming from, though. If it wasn't for the fact that he knew Niko's parents so well then he'd have had him wait outside.

After a few long moments of hesitation, Asahi nodded slowly and stepped through the doorway. Tōru had already delved further into the house, and judging from the sound of things he was in the living room with at least Niko's father. That was where Hajime led Asahi to.

"Hey, Isao-san." Hajime called out as he stepped through the doorway, grinning a bit as the older man turned away from Tōru and stood up. He crossed the living room in a few strides and pulled the ace into a hug.

"Hajime! It's good to see you! For a while there, I thought you'd left this old man out to dry. You manage to only come around when I'm gone for work!" Isao laughed loudly, clapping the teen on the back. It was then that his gaze landed on Asahi. Standing a little behind Hajime, Asahi was rubbing the back of his neck nervously as he stood waiting. "Ah! You must be the famed Asahi! It's good to meet you, son!"

When Isao walked up and grabbed Asahi for a hug as well, Hajime couldn't help but choke back a laugh. The goatee ace looked like a fish out of water. He'd clearly not been expecting a hug - but kudos to him, he reciprocated it after a brief moment of awkwardness. Isao was definitely the parent that Niko got her touchy-feely-ness from.

"Darling, don't petrify the poor thing already." The sound of Niko's mother arose from behind Asahi, and made Isao laugh as he let go of the teen.

"Me? Petrify him? No, no, I'm sure Niko has already done that for us, darling!" Turning, he motioned for Asahi to follow him as he walked back to the couch. "Come, sit down for a bit! Niko's in her room, but I'd like to meet my future son-in-law before I just hand him over to her again!"

* * *

Honestly, Niko's parents were way more accepting and open than he'd expected them to be. Asahi had been told by Niko several times that her mother was especially protective of her. For some reason, he'd pictured her dad being even more so. So when Isao had promptly pulled him into a hug, it'd definitely been a shock.

Come to find out, Isao was pretty much where Niko got her personality. Unlike both Niko and Isao, Ren was a calm and much quieter individual. Asahi hadn't even had to comment on her similarity to Niko, because Isao had blurted it out first. "My Ren went and created a clone of herself with Niko! She's the spitting image of her mother! Luckily she got my charming personality, though."

It'd been enough to make Asahi chuckle, and he began to relax. Just like Hajime and Tōru had said, Niko's parents were extremely open to him, and welcomed him into their home without hesitation.

"When Niko first told us she'd found her soulmate a few months back, she was so excited. She kept finding reasons not to bring you home, though." Ren smiled good-naturedly as she spoke. At first, Asahi had blushed and began to apologize, but the woman shook her head. "No worries, it's not your fault. I think she just wanted to keep you to herself for a little longer."

"Oh, I remember how that is. Just being able to bask in your soulmate, and wanting to do that for as long as possible. Ahaha, to be a teenager again." Isao grinned, casting a sidelong glance at his wife. Asahi'd been sat down, and the two of them had proceeded to sit on either side of him. Hajime had shot him a wry grin, sitting in the armchair across the room while Tōru took the last spot on the couch. "Has she met your parents yet?"

Instantly, Asahi's face flushed. "Ah, no… I haven't, um, invited her over yet…" His hand inevitably found the back of his neck again, and he averted his eyes. To his right, Ren laughed and pat his arm lightly.

"I think you are quite the perfect fit for our little ball of energy. You seem to be good for her. I've not heard anything but positives about you, so that's to be expected." Ren stood up, walking from the room. "I'll go grab some snacks and drinks. I'm sure you're tired - Tōru told us earlier that they'd snatched you right after practice."

"Snatched?! We didn't snatch him-"

"Uhh-huh, sure you didn't, Tōru. I think my wife and I know you two well enough by now that it's clear what happened." Isao cut him off, grinning widely. "You probably barged in and demanded that he follow you back here. I know how you are." He gave the setter a mock-glare before laughing again. When Tōru didn't deny the accusation, Isao nodded resolutely.

Asahi couldn't help but laugh as well. Isao's deduction had been pretty spot on. "So, what are your plans after high school, Azumane-kun?" He should've expected this question. Instantly, Asahi grew nervous again. What would Niko's parents think of his decision to not go to college? Would they be disappointed or annoyed?

"Asahi? Dad! Don't pester him!" Saved by the Niko, clearly. Asahi's head lifted and he saw that Niko was standing in the entryway to the living room. She was staring between him, her father, and her best friends incredulously. "What's-"

"This is an intervention." Tōru declared as he stood up. With a wide grin, he walked over to Niko and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Come along, Goblin. We promise not to be too mean to you." He started pulling her towards the couch, but Niko was much more nimble than him. She slipped out from under his arm and instead darted to the opposite end, towards her soulmate.

He barely had any time to open his arms before Niko slid into his lap and grabbed his arms, wrapping them around her midsection firmly. The sudden closeness - in front of her friends and family - made Asahi's skin darken exponentially. He'd expected a hug, not- A low cough drew his attention to the doorway again.

"I see the dragon has come from her cave to claim her treasure." Ren said with a smirk as she walked into the room with a tray of sandwiches and a pitcher of what Asahi assumed was juice of some kind. "Didn't take you very long. Were your soulmate senses tingling?"

"Moooom! Shut up!" Despite what she said, Niko was laughing as she reached forward to snatch a sandwich. "I could hear Dad all the way from my room, and I came to save Asahi from more embarrassment." Tilting her head back, she grinned up at Asahi. "You're welcome!"

Chuckling softly, Asahi tugged her closer against him and leaned down to kiss her forehead lightly. "It wasn't that bad. Your parents are great." Her skin reddened just a bit before she tilted her head back down to look over at Hajime with a pout.

"Not that I don't love the fact that he's here… why did you bring him home?" She squeezed his hand lightly, and Asahi knew that was her way of making sure he knew he was wanted here. Niko took a bite of her sandwich and stared at Hajime, waiting for his reply.

"You're being an idiot, so we brought him to you so you can't run away from your problems anymore." He shrugged, getting up to retrieve a sandwich. Niko's body had stiffened against Asahi, but she made no move to leave. When he peered around to look at her face, she was staring at Hajime with wide eyes. Her mouth opened and closed several times, but nothing came from her lips.

There was a long pause before Ren appeared with napkins and cups. "Why don't you two go up to your room - door stays open please - and talk it through? Take a couple sandwiches - they won't last long with Hajime and Tōru around." Setting down her load of items, the blonde woman sat down next to Asahi again and looked at her daughter with a smile.

No one else spoke again until Niko finally nodded slowly. "O-okay." All bravado from earlier seemed to disappear, and Asahi felt her sag against him a bit. A small frown curled his lips down, and he tilted his head down to kiss the side of her head softly. Niko swallowed slowly before untangling herself from Asahi and standing up.

She was quick to grab his hand again, stuffing her sandwich in her mouth before grabbing a few more with her free hand. Without another word, she tugged his hand and mumbled around the sandwich. What she said, Asahi wasn't quite sure.

"Um, okay- ah, thank you- for the sandwiches, Kobayashi-san. I'll-" The moment he was standing, Niko wasted no time and promptly yanked him forward and out of the living room. Behind them, Asahi heard her parents laughing - but that did little to stop the blush from spreading across his face.

Niko dashed up the stairs, forcing Asahi to do the same lest he fall too far behind. It took only a few moments for him to be pulled into her bedroom. The door was slid mostly shut, and only then did Niko still. Looking up at him, she began to lose the steam she'd built up. Asahi could do little but watch her face fall as she began chewing on her lower lip.

Still silent, he slid his hand out of hers and wrapped his arms around her waist. Pulling her close, he let Niko work through her own mind in silence. It was clear to him that she was struggling to put whatever it was into words. Until she was ready to talk, Asahi would simply hold her. She reached up, hands gripping his shoulders softly.

Together, they moved to sit on the bed. There, Niko wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned against him. Asahi held her close, thumbs rubbing circles in her back as he waited. For her, he could have all the patience in the world.

* * *

A/N: I know, I know, Niko wasn't present very much in this chapter, but I felt like this was a great point in the story to start building a friendship of sorts between the two best friends and the soulmate. Plus he finally meets her parents! As always, thank you all for your continued support! It means so much to me :)

euinoiapaint: Heck yes we do! No toxic friendships here :) Thank you again! I always look forward to reading your reviews, so thank you so much for your support!

narutolover10110: Thank you so, so much! I appreciate your support so much, thank you for sticking with me through the story!


	15. The Seed of Doubt

Asahi must be getting anxious, Niko told herself. They'd been sitting on her bed for nearly five minutes while she tried to find the words that she needed to say. He'd shifted once, only to bring her closer, but her mind whispered words of doubt. The persistent voice in her head that said he wouldn't like her as she was.

His hands slid up her back, one going to the back of head while the other moved to tilt her chin up lightly. Blue met brown, and they stared at one another in silence. Niko couldn't keep her gaze on his for long, though. Her eyes dipped, and she found herself studying the stubble on his chin rather than risk his ire.

"Niko." Asahi breathed her name, leaning down to press a soft kiss to her forehead. "Look at me?" He pressed his forehead against hers, a small frown tugging his lips down. Niko's gaze lifted for a moment, doubt piercing through her. What if he agreed? What if told her that Nao was right? What if- "Niko."

Her eyes slid closed, and Niko drew in a shaky breath. Straightening her back, she found Asahi's hands and held them in her own again, gently. Then, she opened her eyes and looked up at him. "I'm- I'm not like girls in the magazines, you know? I don't," She paused, taking in a shaky, deep breath. "I don't have a soft… body." Niko bit her lip, looking down at their entwined hands again. Her cheeks were stained red, and her entire body felt like it was on fire.

Coming clean with him was terrifying. In some deep recess, she knew it shouldn't be… but no matter how much she wanted to pretend otherwise, Niko was still a teenage girl with many insecurities. Her body was one of those things - she wanted Asahi to be happy, to have exactly the person he'd always wanted. If she didn't measure up to his standards…

Asahi squeezed her hands gently, before sliding them out of her grip and up to grasp her face gently. "Niko, I don't need you to be like other girls." He tilted her face up, gaze boring into hers. It was the first time she'd seen Asahi so serious outside of the court. "I don't want you to be like other girls. I want you to be you. I'm-" His skin was darkening slowly, the red dusting his cheeks slowly covering his neck and ears.

"I think you're perfect. Your body - it shows your hard work. Your hours of dedication, your passion, your love for volleyball. You're beautiful," Asahi drew in a breath, and Niko realized that he was leaning closer, "and I won't let you forget that. If- I'll spend as much time as I need to convince you. I want you to think you're beautiful, too."

Her heart felt like it might swell and burst right out of her chest. Niko blinked rapidly, trying to get rid of the burning behind her eyes. Hearing him say it - the heavy weight that had attached itself to her heart was released. The dark cloud of doubt and insecurity in her mind dissipated, and she could breathe without feeling like she was about to collapse.

Leaning up, Niko wrapped her arms around his neck and closed the distance between them. His hands slipped around her waist again and he tugged her body against his. Kissing him was a rush of electricity, pulsing through her veins. Tingles down her spine, fingers curling against his skin as she pulled him closer.

How silly it seemed now, for her to have ever believed Nao's nasty words. The foul seeds that had been planted inside of her had spread like wildfire, and she'd let them take root and grow rapidly. Niko's heart panged at the thought of how she'd let herself be convinced that Asahi wouldn't want her just the way she was. She should've known better. He was her center of gravity, her sun, her warmth.

Despite that, she knew it wasn't going to be a simple thing to get over. The seed of doubt, when planted in fertile soil, was extremely difficult to get rid of. Niko knew she would have to be more open with him from now on. She couldn't just let things brew, and hold onto them. If she did that, Niko knew she'd just end up pushing him away again.

When breathing became a necessity again, Niko pulled back - only centimeters. Her eyes opened, and she peered up at him through her lashes. His warm, chocolate eyes bore into her very soul. His skin was flushed, deep red blooming across his cheeks that only darkened when she reached up to caress his jaw softly. "Thank you." She whispered, teeth catching her lower lip as she stared up at him. "I'm sorry I was being an idiot."

Before she could even laugh at her own statement, Asahi leaned in and kissed her again. A short, quick peck before he pulled back and shook his head. "Don't- You don't need to apologize." He tugged her hair gently, smiling. "You wanna tell me everything now? I'm here as long as you need me."

There was no hesitation in her reply this time. "Yes." They shifted, moving up on the bed so Asahi could lean against her headboard while she sat cross-legged in front of him. Their hands remained intertwined - a way to ground herself from getting upset again, she had told him. This time, there was much less deliberation and hesitation in getting to the point.

Much like she'd done several days ago with Tōru and Hajime, Niko stated the issue bluntly. There was no way around it, and honesty was, in fact, the best policy. She gained steam slowly, Asahi's constant grip on her hands giving her the confidence to keep pushing forward and tell him everything. Niko delved into details of various encounters, opening up to him more than she'd even done with her friends, surprisingly enough.

"It's a constant barrage of insults or snide comments. The first time I changed with everyone else, she made remarks about my waist, my hips, my chest - everything. She 'accidentally' used my towel and laughed when I had to walk naked back to my locker for a new one. Then, just last practice, she-" Niko halted for a moment, chewing on her lower lip.

Asahi's hands had tightened around hers momentarily, before he eased off the pressure and rubbed the backs of her hands with his thumbs gently. "She told me that you-" Again, she paused, eyes dropping. She was ashamed to say it, even now. "She said you'd be disappointed in what's… under my clothes. That I have a masculine body, and no talent - that you were getting the 'shitty end of the deal', or whatever."

Her eyes remained fixed on his jaw, her teeth catching her lower lip as she chewed on it nervously. In front of her, Asahi stilled. Even his thumbs on her hands stopped moving. If she hadn't been staring at his jaw, Niko may have missed the way it clenched - for just the briefest of seconds. Then a second time, a moment later.

Niko remained quiet, chewing on her lip absently. Asahi straightened up, taking in a deep breath. "That- It's not true at all. And- Niko, like I told you before - I think- I know you are absolutely beautiful. And talent-wise?" He let out a soft huff, frowning sharply for the first time - that she'd seen him do so. "I don't know who she's been watching play, but it- it clearly isn't you. You're amazing, Niko. You were offered- You were offered that position for a reason."

His thumbs began moving against her hands again, and he leaned down to look her in the eyes again. "I know you can handle yourself with all of the other comments and things that she's doing - but Niko," He freed one of his hands to pull her chin up so she'd look at him, "please, go to your coaches. Talk to them. It's against your team's code of conduct, you- you know that just like I do."

"But I… I don't want to be- I don't want to be the one that pulls the team apart…" Even in her own ears, Niko knew that sounded flimsy. Asahi knew it as well.

"Don't you think- Isn't she already doing that? Please, Niko. Talk to your coaches. They can help. What she's doing to you - it shouldn't be allowed to continue." His eyes bored into hers, and Niko found it impossible to reply with any of the half-assed excuses she'd given her friends before. Lying to Asahi was simply impossible. She couldn't do that to him.

Which is why she sat there in silence, brows furrowed and lip pulled between her teeth as she chewed on the flesh lightly. Asahi watched her, waiting patiently for her to reply. The possibilities that ran through her head were endless. What if the coaches knew, but didn't do anything? What if Nao retaliated? What if her teammates hated her for creating drama by telling someone?

Niko had to close her eyes and take a deep, slow breath in. Anxiety was welling up inside of her, twisting her thoughts and turning them into sharp barbs that stabbed through her lungs and made her breath stutter. Asahi's fingers brushed along her jaw softly, bringing her mind out of the darkness it'd dove into. Taking in another shaky breath, she swallowed and nodded.

"Okay. I will. I will." Her voice came out at barely above a whisper, and Niko let her head fall against Asahi's chest softly. One of his hands moved up to rest against the back of her head while the other found hers once again and tangled their fingers together.

They sat like this for another few minutes, neither speaking or moving. Niko's heart, which had been rapidly beating out of control slowly steadied and the darkness that ebbed inside of her mind flowed away again. Hajime and Tōru had tried to talk to her, to tell her the same things, but she'd been so convinced that her self-worth wasn't good enough that she'd refused to listen to them. She'd have to apologize to her friends for that soon.

Not only that… she needed to thank them for bringing Asahi directly to her. They figured out the solution to her insecurities and took the leap to bring him to her so he could help… and Niko knew that was the best decision they could've made. Having her soulmate there with her, she couldn't hide and pretend like everything was fine. She had to make the effort to explain herself.

Another deep breath in, and then Niko slowly lifted her head up. She pressed her face to his chest for a moment, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Thank you." Scooting forward, Niko slid into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck as she hugged him tightly. "Thank you for coming here. For talking me through it. I.. I was letting my insecurities overwhelm me." Her skin flushed lightly and Niko leaned up to kiss his cheek softly. "So thank you."

There was only a beat of silence before Asahi murmured against her ear. "No need to thank me. I'd come- I'd do it in a heartbeat anytime you needed me. All you need to do next time is text or call me. Not that Iwaizumi and Oikawa coming by wasn't, um… interesting." His chest rumbled with his laughter, and Niko couldn't help but let out a giggle as well.

"I hope they weren't too terrible there… Especially Tōru." Tilting her head up, she bit her lower lip and grinned at him. Just the thought of Tōru going to Karasuno… Niko could only imagine how much trouble he'd made for the team. Just at that thought… she could practically feel a sweatdrop forming on her head at the thought of him tormenting poor Hinata and Kageyama.

Asahi chuckled, shaking his head. "Actually he wasn't awful at all… but Iwaizumi did seem to have him on a pretty short leash. So that may have been part of the reason for that." Niko wasn't quite surprised by that. "They actually helped us finish clean up, too. Iwaizumi offered."

"Really? Well, actually, knowing Hajime that's not too surprising. He's the mom of the boys' volleyball team. Always hounding on everyone to clean up faster, and spurring them into action." Niko laughed, recalling one day at the very beginning of the year when she'd managed to catch the end of the boys' practice and subsequently got nearly half of the team in trouble… Hajime hit them all with volleyballs and threatened her with one if she didn't start helping as well. Needless to say… everyone was veerryyy quick to finish cleanup that evening.

"Sounds like Suga." Asahi said with a chuckle. "Nishinoya calls him and Daichi 'Mom' and 'Dad' more often than they'd probably admit. Tanaka convinced Hinata to call them that one day, too. I don't think I've ever seen Daichi give out as many laps as he did then."

The laughter that bubbled up from Niko was immediate. She giggled, clutching her arms around his neck gently. Just the thought of anyone calling the two of them Mom and Dad… well, Niko definitely knew how she was going to greet them next time she saw the duo. "Ha! Tōru likes to ask Hajime if he's his mother whenever he harps on him about his practice schedule… I call him that, too. Though I'm not sure Tōru deserves the title of Dad, as that does imply some kind of responsibility…"

"Goblin, that's so mean. I'm responsible!" Tōru's voice made her jerk backwards - but only enough to peer at her doorway, where the devil and his tamer stood. "I even came all the way up here to make sure you were behaving. Looks like we got here just in time to save Goatee from you." He stood with his hands on his hips in her doorway, grinning widely.

In another moment, he was striding forward and had plopped down onto her bed. "Getting pretty cozy, aren't you, Goblin?" Tōru's gaze flicked to the space between Niko and Asahi - or rather, the distinct lack of space between them. Hajime grunted in agreement, coming to stand by the head of the bed. "We told you to talk to her, not seduce her, Goatee! What terrible manners."

Flipping around in Asahi's arms, Niko scowled at the setter and swung her foot at his side. "That's not what was happening!" She yelped when Tōru grabbed her foot and yanked her forward suddenly. Asahi's grip had loosened on her, and the force was enough to make her slide a few decimeters away from his body. "Let go of meeee!"

Behind her, Asahi seemed unsure of what to do. The moment she'd slid from his hold on her, he'd instinctively reached forward to grab her but paused when his hands came to rest on her waist. His dilemma was answered for him, though, when Niko twisted around and wrapped her arms securely around his waist. "Begone, foul demon!" She yelled, her feet swinging wildly behind her.

"Ow! You're the demon, goblin!" Tōru lifted a hand, rubbing his nose, where she'd managed to land a pretty solid kick just moments before. A stifled laugh burst from Hajime's lips, and Niko turned her head to grin at him mischievously.

"Nice hit, Niko." Hajime reached out to her, and the girl giggled and pulled one arm away from Asahi to fist bump her friend. Tōru let out a series of indignant, barely coherent yells at their 'betrayal'.

"Guys." Niko suddenly sat up a bit, and the atmosphere in the room calmed down instantly. She took barely a second to press a kiss to Asahi's cheek and pull away, then crawl across the bed to where Tōru sat, pouting and clutching his nose. He eyed her suspiciously as she approached, but the setter made no move to get up.

The moment her arms wrapped around him, Tōru reciprocated the gesture and hugged her against him tightly. "Thank you." Niko spoke softly, squeezing him lightly. "For bringing him here, and making me face my fears."

Tōru released her, and Niko slid off the bed and leapt straight at Hajime, who caught her in a hug easily. "Thank you both so much. I don't know what I'd do without you guys." No sooner did she say that than Hajime suddenly squeezed her against him and effectively pushed all the air from her lungs. Squeaking in surprise, Niko squirmed in his hold but that simply made Hajime hug her even tighter.

"Next time I won't be against hitting you in the head with a volleyball like I do to Assikawa when he's acting stupid, too." Hajime raised a brow, setting her down and watching her closely. "Actually, there better not be a next time, Goblin. Got it?"

"What Iwai-chan said!" Tōru chirped, slipping off the bed to come stand next to Hajime.

Laughing, Niko nodded quickly. "I promise, it won't happen again." Turning, she looked at Asahi with a bright grin. He had moved to sit on the edge of her bed again, hands resting on his knees as he waited patiently. His cheeks were still dusted with pink, but his gaze remained steady as their eyes met. "I promise." Niko smiled as she repeated the words, stepping forward to grasp his hands in hers softly. "I'll be upfront and honest with you from now on. I should have been from the start. I'm sorry that I wasn't."

Once again, Asahi's hands grasped her waist softly and he pulled her in closer. "It's okay. I promise I'll always be completely honest with you, no matter what. So if you ever doubt in yourself or in me, all you need to do is ask." His lips twisted up in a slow grin and Niko felt his fingers tighten on her waist just a margin. "If you don't, I think I know the cavalry I'll need in order to convince you."

Niko's mouth dropped open a bit, and she couldn't help but start laughing. Asahi had- He'd basically just threatened her with her own best friends. Where in the world was this confidence coming from? She loved it! "Yes, Sir!" She threw her head back, laughing brightly as she hugged him.

"Gross, get a room you two." Tōru's voice cut in, but all he managed to do was make her laugh even more. In the end, it became contagious and the trio of boys started laughing along with her. It was genuinely the start of a new chapter in their lives, and Niko was sure they could all tell. No doubt there would be more obstacles in the future - especially with the upcoming confrontation with Nao and her coaches being inevitable, but somehow… Niko was positive that she'd be totally fine with these three by her side.

* * *

"They've been up there quite a while… Do you think we should go check on them?" Isao looked over at his wife, brows lifted a bit. "You don't suppose Tōru and Hajime committed a murder under our roof do you?" Ren lifted her gaze from the book in her lap to look at her husband, who continued talking. "We haven't got much of a backyard, but I suppose we could probably hide the body back there in a pinch."

"Darling."

"Oh, but if that happened, I'm sure that we'd have to find a place for three bodies… I'm not sure, but I think those boys are no match for an angry Niko." His eyes widened, and he suddenly clutched at his chest. "We'd be accomplices to a triple homicide!"

Beside him, Ren started laughing. Closing her book, she set it on the coffee table and scooted over against her husband's side. "As amusing as that thought may be, I think they're just fine. Tōru and Hajime are both capable young men, and our daughter is surprisingly more level headed than I would have guessed that she'd turn out to be." Her dark blue eyes slid up to meet her husband's sea-green irises and she grinned. "Despite being so much like you, it seems Niko has inherited her mother's sense of responsibility. Luckily!"

Isao's eyes widened and he cried out in objection. "Hey, I am extremely responsible!" Despite his protests, neither of them could help but laugh. Niko had always been every bit as adventurous as her father had been when he was her age. It'd been truly terrifying when she was younger… She'd mellowed out a bit over the years(which her mother accredited to Tōru and Hajime… The latter especially) and had turned into a fine young woman. Now, with her soulmate …

"I can't wait to see where she goes next. Our little Niko is going to do big things, you know." Isao chuckled, pulling his wife against his side. Ren nodded, humming her agreement. They both knew that no matter what, Tōru and Hajime would always be there for her… and Asahi, too, it was turning out. "Now all we have to do is wrangle that boy out of her clutches long enough for us to get to know him as well!"

Ren shook her head, patting her husband's chest lightly with a wry grin on her lips. "Another day - I don't think our little dragon daughter intends on releasing her treasure any time soon tonight."

* * *

A/N: This chapter was a kind of difficult one to write, surprisingly. The subject matter of Niko's anxiety and doubts was something that I wanted to be shown well without it being like so many stories out there that introduce anxiety or things like that, and then with the arrival of a loved one, everything just instantly disappears. I wanted to show that it's a process to build back up, and get out of that headspace - I hope I accomplished that. In later chapters, it will come into play a bit as well. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and continue tagging along for the ride! I would love to know what everyone thinks, constructive criticism included!

As always, thank you all for your continued support! It means the world to me :) Also! I've started a new story - Pumpkin Skies, it's a Yaku/OC fic with a bit of Kenma drama attached. That will have a pretty sporadic update schedule as I am focusing more on Marks of Life, but if it sounds like something you all might be interested in, I'd love for you to check it out and tell me what you think of it!

narutolover10110 - Aww, I am so happy to hear that! :D Thank you so much :) I always look forward to hearing from you and your reviews!

eunoiapaint - I'm glad that you think so! Isao and Ren were pretty fun to write - especially the little omake there at the end of this chapter :p Thank you so much for continuing to review and support me! I look forward to hearing from you every week! :)


	16. Curious Crows

It wasn't often that Asahi was able to watch Niko play. She'd come to several of his practices and has watched him play more than once, but somehow he's managed to miss the opportunity to return the favor. Until now. It was Saturday morning, and the coach had decided to give them a day of rest for once. A few of the players had said they would still go practice for a few hours, but he chose to take this opportunity to visit Niko instead.

Unexpectedly for him, Nishinoya had immediately asked if he could tag along when Asahi mentioned his plans at the end of practice yesterday. Even more surprising was when Daichi added that he'd like to see Niko play as well. By the time he'd managed to tell both of them that it was fine with him, several others voiced their interest as well.

Which is how he ended up walking into Aoba Johsai with Nishinoya, Daichi, Suga, Tanaka, Hinata, and Kageyama today. Asahi was thankful for their presence, though. He was certain he'd have wandered the halls for far longer had no one else been present. Instead, Suga had no qualms about immediately asking the first person that they saw.

"Excuse me!" Suga called out to an approaching group of girls. They slowed, turning their collective gaze on the group of boys. "Where do the volleyball-"

"Gym two." One of the taller girls cut him off, rolling her eyes as she jerked her thumb back in the direction they'd come from. She didn't even bother to wait for a reply before ushering the small group past them. Suga and Daichi exchanged perplexed looks.

"Er… thanks." Was all Suga managed to get out before the girls passed him by without another glance over. After a brief pause, the setter shook his head and stepped forward. "Alright, then. To gym two." A small laugh escaped him, and then Suga was leading the little troup once again. Nishinoya and Tanaka strayed to the edge of the group, grinning and nudging one another.

"The girls here are so cute!"

"But not as cute as Kiyoko-san!"

"Ahhh, you're right! No one compares to Kiyoko-san!"

It was pretty easy to tune the rest of their conversation out, as could be expected. For a brief moment, Asahi had to wonder just what the two obsessive second years would do upon meeting their own soulmates… That thought was immediately quashed with the realization that they'd probably be even harder to deal with at that point.

Hinata was quick to leap right to the front of the group, nimbly dodging past all of his senpai as he raced forward. "I'm gonna get there first!" He shouted, and that was all it took for Kageyama to push past the others and take off after the orange-haired boy at a dead run.

"No you won't! I'll get there first!"

"Guys, don't run in the hallways!" Daichi called after them, but the two first years were more than a little hard of hearing when they were focused on their little 'competitions'. Neither of them even glanced back, resulting in Daichi letting out an exasperated sigh. "We don't even know if that's the right gym…"

The hyperactive duo clearly hadn't noticed the fact that the girl hadn't given Suga time to clarify that they meant the girls' team. There was a fifty-fifty chance that they'd been directed to the boys' team. Possibly even higher, considering how popular the boys' team was in Aoba Johsai. Asahi glanced at Tanaka and Nishinoya as they began to rush forward as well, yelling that they weren't going to be left behind.

Unluckily for the duo, Daichi apparently expected exactly that and promptly grabbed the backs of both their shirts and pulled them to a halt. "Don't join in. They're causing enough trouble as it is. Oi, Hinata, Kageyama! Come back-"

It was too late. The first years had made it to the gymnasium doors, and were reaching forward to pull them open when they suddenly swung outwards and shoved both of them backwards. As they stumbled back, nearly landing on their asses in the process, Asahi recognized the person coming out of the gym.

"-in five minutes!" Oikawa called to his teammates over his shoulder, then peered down by his feet, where Kageyama and Hinata lay in a crumpled pile on the floor. "What's this? My adorably useless kouhai and his partner in crime? Come to spy on us?" He smirked, resting his hands on his hips as he stared down at them.

Asahi and the rest of his group began moving forward, while Kageyama and Hinata began sitting up. "Who are you talking to, trashykawa?" A head appeared from behind Oikawa. Iwaizumi came to stand next to the setter as he peered down at the duo on the floor. "Oh. What're you guys doing here?"

"Sorry about them. They don't know how to listen." Daichi's voice made both Aoba Johsai players look up. When they finally saw the rest of the Karasuno group, both players' brows lifted in surprise. Meanwhile, Daichi grabbed the first years by their shirts as they stood and promptly pulled them back behind Suga and himself.

"Now isn't this just a little suspicious. Nearly half of your team here, wandering our halls and about to interrupt our practice?" Oikawa was grinning, sauntering towards Daichi. From behind he and Iwaizumi, other members of the volleyball team had started to make their way out of the gymnasium. Kindaichi paused, frowning when he spotted Kageyama and Hinata. Kunimi, Watari, and others simply looked back and forth between their captain and Daichi.

Asahi lifted a hand to his neck, rubbing it as he stepped forward. "Ah, no- um, we're actually-" He swallowed thickly when all attention turned to him. "I wanted to watch Niko's practice…" Averting his eyes, the bearded ace laughed nervously. "And they wanted to come, too…"

"Yeah! We want to see Kobayashi-senpai play!" Hinata shouted, leaping forward again. Kageyama even managed a nod, eyes averted even as he was unable to contain the child-like excitement written all over his face.

There was an extended pause, and when Asahi managed to build enough courage to look up, Aoba Johsai's players were watching him intently. His skin grew warm, and he stared at the wall next to them instead.

"Oh, yeah. You're Kobayashi-senpai's soulmate, aren't you?" Watari shuffled forward, peering up at Asahi curiously. Kunimi and Kindaichi both turned towards Asahi, watching him as well. After nodding slowly, Asahi half expected for them all to simultaneously leap on him for some reason…

"Oikawa did come in one day complaining about Karasuno's 'goatee ace' stealing her away, so it'd make sense." Yahaba came up beside the libero, looking up at Asahi with a calm smile.

"Wha- I did not! Why would I-"

"You definitely did. What was it that you said? 'She's cheating on us with him?' - pretty sure that counts as complaining. I'd call it whining, though, personally." Matsukawa grinned lazily as he came to stand next to Iwaizumi. Despite the immediate squawking released by his captain, all he did was look at Karasuno.

Asahi had to stifle back a short laugh at Aoba Johsai's readiness to completely throw their captain under the bus. Especially considering the confident, borderline arrogant, air that Oikawa tended to put on around pretty much everyone. Next to him, Daichi and Suga wore similar grins to his own, clearly enjoying the show. Surprisingly enough, Tanaka and Nishinoya were remaining fairly silent. The latter of the two perhaps due to his hyper-vigilant stare on Aoba Johsai's libero - who kept blatantly looking everywhere besides Nishinoya.

"We tried to ask where her team was practicing, but the ones we asked didn't let me finish specifying that we were looking for the girls' team. Sorry about that." Suga rubbed the back of his head, laughing awkwardly.

Iwaizumi shrugged, jerking his head towards his right. "They practice in gym three. It's next door. And no worries. You weren't interrupting anything." He shuffled forward, then paused and looked back at Oikawa with a frown. "Didn't Niko say something about them having a practice match today?"

Asahi knew he wasn't the only one that perked up upon hearing that. Watching regular practice would have been interesting enough - but a practice match with another school would really be exciting. Even Nishinoya looked away from Watari, staring instead at Aoba Johsai's ace. Hinata began bouncing on his heels, and even Kageyama visibly brightened.

"Yeah, with, uh." The setter paused, brows furrowing and lips turning down in a frown as he apparently tried to remember who the match was against.

"Wakutani, wasn't it?" Watari supplied helpfully, looking up at Asahi. "Pretty sure it was them. She said it was with one of the teams they'd played during Interhigh. They should be starting soon, if they haven't already."

Oikawa snapped his fingers, face lighting up. "Yes, Wakutani! They're the ones they beat during the quarterfinals." Then, he turned his attention to Asahi again. He stood, staring at him for what seemed like forever. Asahi shifted nervously, wavering between wanting to look away and continue staring back. Finally, Oikawa narrowed his eyes and looked away. "Good to see you're putting in some effort too. Up the stairs, third set of doors on the right."

At first, Asahi wasn't sure what he meant. Putting in effort too? And why was that something that he happy about? "Ah, thanks…" He faltered, unsure of how to continue. Clearly, Oikawa had no plans of helping him understand his words, as he simply lifted a hand and shooed the group towards the staircase. Reluctantly at first, Asahi walked forward, his teammates trailing closely behind him.

"Oh. You mean-" Just as he put his foot on the first stair, Asahi came to realize what the setter had meant. Turning a bit, he looked at Oikawa again. "Watching her practice. It's the first time I have." The nearly imperceptible nod he got was the only reply. "Ah. Yeah. I've been meaning to- Just, um. Yeah. Thanks."

Snickering from Oikawa's teammates didn't deter Asahi from walking up the steps this time. A hand clapped on his back lightly as he made it to the last step, followed by chuckling. "Nice job keeping your wits about you there, Goatee Ace." Suga sidled up next to him, grinning good-naturedly as he teased Asahi. "You might just have some kind of backbone, after all."

"Now if he could just be that way all the time!" Ouch. Nishinoya was never one to mince words, Asahi supposed.

"Stop, you'll break his glass heart, Noya!" Tanaka wailed, lunging to cover the libero's mouth. The ensuing battle between the two lasted only a few moments, but even Asahi couldn't resist laughing.

"Would you to stop already. We're going in now. So settle down." Daichi's flat tone was enough to get both of them to immediately pause and back away with hands up. "Thank you. Same goes for you two." His gaze landed on Hinata, then Kageyama next. The two first years wore matching looks of eagerness, but it was well-known that they could be just as rowdy if they wanted to be…

Asahi's heart was pounding against his ribcage, excitement buzzing through his whole body. This was the first time he'd be able to see Niko in action - in her element completely. He'd wanted to for so long, but their practice schedules clashed too often, and his own lack of ability to plan things out meant he'd not been able to yet.

When he opened the doors that led onto the balcony, a few people who were standing at the railing looked over. They quickly turned their attention back on the court, though. Asahi led the group of Karasuno players inside, and they all quickly gathered at the railing. Hinata and Nishinoya were quick to climb halfway up it in order to peer down below, earning a nudge and low comment from Daichi.

Apparently, the group had made it just in time. Both teams were standing on the sidelines, and Asahi spotted a cart of balls being rolled away from the edge of the court. Warmup had just ended. It took him barely five seconds to find Niko in her white t-shirt and turquoise shorts. Her long, blonde hair was pulled back in a high and tight ponytail, swishing behind her as she laughed and prodded her teammates several times. She hadn't noticed their arrival yet - which just fine by Asahi. He was content just to watch her in her element entirely.

On the other side of the court, Wakutani's players were huddled together with their coach. Suga took the time before the match to lean back and look at the group of students who were gathered at the railing a few feet from them. "Excuse me, would you mind telling us about the starting players for Aoba Johsai? We only know one of them."

Luckily, this group seemed a lot more welcoming and eager to talk than the last group had. All five turned, and three of them immediately grinned and scooted closer to the group of Karasuno boys. "Sure! It your first time watching one of their matches?" A girl with short, black hair came to stand right next to Kageyama, who'd stood at the end of their group. "I'm Maru, by the way."

"Thank you! Yes, it is. Nice to meet you!" Suga grinned brightly, bowing his head in greeting quickly. "I'm Sugawara. Thank you again for your help." Maru shot him a bright grin and nodded exuberantly.

"Same to you! And no problem. I'm a little bit obsessed with the girls' volleyball team, so I'm more than happy to help." Next to her, a blond boy grinned and nudged her side.

"Obsessed is putting it a little lightly, don't you think?" When Maru turned and swiped at him, the boy laughed and backed away quickly. "I'm just saying! You've been to, like, all of their practices and games. Groupie." He dodged behind the rest of their group, who laughed and grinning.

"Oh shut up. I really love watching them play!"

"Uh huh, sure that's the reason why."

Maru's cheeks were burning bright red, but in the end she just huffed and turned to look at Suga again, trying to hold back a grin. "Sorry, sorry. Anyway, the starting players!" She clapped her hands together and leaned over the rail a bit, motioning towards Aoba Johsai's team eagerly. "Number one is Tsubame Tora, she's the captain and the setter. She's super talented, and can set from pretty much anywhere it seems like! Then number two is Mayuko Hitomu, third year wing spiker and the ace. Surprising, right? She's the tallest on the team - everyone always expects her to be a middle blocker!"

The girl laughed, shaking her head. "She's great at blocking, but you need to see her insane spikes. Then number three - the shortest on the team, and the libero - Kobayashi Niko. She's actually the top female libero and is so much fun to watch in a game!" Maru squealed, clutching her chest dramatically as she pointed to the next player. "Then number four! Fujimoto Michi, third year and a wing spiker as well. She's really powerful, and specializes in cross attacks. Watching her is just so amazing, it's so hard to look away! Number six is a second year, Abe Nanami - she's a middle blocker. I've heard she's scary to go up against because her read blocks are super fast."

Suga glanced at their group, grinning. Everyone was listening intently to her explanations. Asahi had to admit that the extra information was great - it gave them an idea of what to look for and expect, almost. "Number nine is also a second year. Ryosuke Sakura - wing spiker. She's pretty fast, and has really scary accurate aim. She also has a really killer serve. And finally, there's number twelve. The only first year on the starting lineup, and the other middle blocker - Yuki Tamami. She's super calm, and observant. She figures out attack patterns pretty quickly."

Maru clapped her hands, giggling brightly. "Sometimes they sub in Takeru Mina, number eleven, for one of the wing spikers. She's a first year and has crazy strong spikes that can get through almost any blocker! They've got number five as a pinch server, too - Kami Ayeka, who is a third year. Her serves aren't super powerful, but they're fast and close to the lines so a lot of players call them out and end up giving quite a few points away. Plus, she's left handed, so even if they do go after one of her serves they usually can't receive them at first."

She abruptly turned to look at Suga again. "That was a lot, sorry! I forget not everyone is as into it as I am." Her cheeks flushed, but Suga laughed and waved his hand.

"No, it's okay! We are volleyball players, too, so we appreciate the added information." The second he said that, Maru jumped up and clapped excitedly. Her eyes lit up and she moved even closer to Kageyama, whose skin turned pink.

"Really? That's awesome! Where do you guys go? How come you're watching them play today? No offense! I just know you guys aren't on our team here, so…"

When Maru trailed off, shrugging lightly, she bit her lip and watched Suga carefully. "Yep! We go to Karasuno." For a moment, it seemed like Maru was going to say something - her mouth dropped open and she leaned forward a bit. Then she bit her lip again and grinned, waiting for him to continue. "And we're here because…"

Suga trailed off, looking pointedly at Asahi. Who immediately flushed and dropped his gaze to look at Niko. "Um. Niko's my- my soulmate. I wanted to watch-" The rest of his sentence was cut off when Maru squealed again and jumped up and down excitedly.

"No way! That's so exciting! Is this the first time you're watching her play?!" She waited long enough for Asahi to nod before clutching her chest and sighing dramatically. "That's just so cool! Oh my gosh, you are going to love it! Oooh, it's starting!"

Just like that, Maru fell silent and clutched the railing in front of her as the referee's whistle blew, signalling the start of the match. The two captains shook hands and greeted one another, then the starting players shuffled onto the court. First serve went to Wakutani, which made Maru grin and nudge the boy who'd teased her earlier.

Asahi had half a mind to ask her what she so excited for - but didn't get the chance to. Wakutani's number three tossed the ball high, and leapt into the air. "Whoa." Daichi murmured, eyes wide. Her palm slammed into the ball, and it went rocketing across the court. A grin was stretched across her lips, eyes falling to the person she'd aimed the powerhouse serve for.

Niko. It was make it or break it. First serve of the match, and such a powerful one at that - if Niko missed, it would be an uphill battle from there. Asahi leaned forward, gripping the railing a little tighter.

Her knees bent, arms stretching out with hands clasped. A grin curled her lips upwards, and she met the spike with a loud 'OOORRAAAA'. Asahi flinched at the feeling of his arms stinging - more out of surprise than actual discomfort. He barely even had time to think about just how much force was behind the spike for him to be able to feel it so clearly before Niko's body shifted forward fluidly and the ball went sailing in a perfect arc right to their setter.

"Nice receive!"

"LET'S GOOO!"

"YEAHHH!"

Seijou's number two - Mayuko, Asahi recalled after a moment - raced forward from near Niko and leapt straight into a back attack. The setter barely even seemed to change positions when she tossed it perfectly to the ace. There was a resounding 'smack' as the girl's palm met the volleyball. Even as three blockers leapt up from Wakutani's side, the ball was already slamming into the court near the midline.

The gym erupted into cheers, and Niko leapt at Mayuko. "Perfect form, ace!" Said girl laughed and swung the libero around in a quick circle, then they were falling back into position. "Let's take another point!" Niko's call was met with cheers from both her teammates and the spectators alike.

Ryosuke Sakura was the first to serve for Seijou's team, and everyone in the balconies seemed to simultaneously suck in a breath in anticipation. The reason why became clear pretty quickly. While her opponent's serve had been remarkable, Ryosuke's serve was probably ten or twenty times faster. It seemed like her hand hit the ball, and in the next second, it was all the way across the court and bouncing off of the ground between the wing spiker and libero on Wakutani's side.

"SERVVIICCCEEEE ACCEEEE!"

"Give 'em another, Sakura!"

"Sakkuurraaaa goooo!"

That was just the first of a series of insane serves. Three more points later, and Wakutani finally managed to haphazardly receive the ball and get it back into the air. Still, their receive was off and it sent the ball soaring back over the net. "FREE BALL!" Someone shouted, and then Niko's team was moving forward again. Two spikers raced up, and Tsubame tossed the ball in the air.

The ball went to Ryosuke, and she slammed it forward - right into the palm of one of the blockers. Niko raced forward, leaping towards the falling ball with her hands outstretched. She slid across the floor, but managed to keep the ball up. "Sorry, cover!" It was shaky at best, but Abe was able to follow up the libero's receive with a cleaner one which set the ball flying towards their setter again.

A second time, Tsubame set to Ryosuke. This time, it blew past the blockers - and right into their libero's waiting arms. "LEEFFTTT!" One of Wakutani's spikers yelled, and in a super fast toss, the ball went right to them. They spiked it down, and while Niko and her teammates dashed forward to get it, the ball hit the floor and bounced right back up.

Finally, Wakutani scored - making the score 5 to 1. They'd successfully stopped Aoba Johsai's momentum, and that scary powerful serve of Ryosuke's. A glance at his teammates proved to Asahi what he'd already assumed - everyone was totally invested in the game already.

Kageyama was gripping the railing, childlike eager grin on his face and eyes alight with excitement. Hinata and Nishinoya were both practically halfway over the railing, leaping up and down as they stared in wonder. It was a wonder Tanaka hadn't already ripped off his shirt, judging from the way he gripped at his chest.

Next to him, even Daichi and Suga were leaning forward and watching intently - also much more quietly than the rest of their companions. Asahi grinned. Watching a game was was just as nerve-wracking and amazing as participating in one. Seeing Niko move so fluidly on the court, he knew it was only going to get better from there.

It wasn't until the match was at 24 to 23, in Seijou's favor, that they were able to fully grasp just why Niko was ranked nationally. Throughout the game, she'd been dashing and moving, leaping from one end of the court to the other and receiving wayward balls like it was second nature to her - unsurprising since it basically was. No one in her team doubted her skill at all, and completely trusted her - they made risky plays, and it was clear to see that the reason they could do those was because they knew Niko was behind them, guarding their backs.

In an act of what Asahi could only assume was desperation to make a break, Wakutani sent in a pinch server. The girl was tall, and from the moment she stepped onto the court, she was staring straight at Niko. Standing back from the line, she bounced the ball a few times then pointed at Niko.

"I'd like to see you receive this." A declaration of intent, a challenge, and a boast all in one. Yet all the blonde libero replied with was a giant grin and a nod. Her tongue darted out, and Niko licked her lips, widening her stance as she stared at the pinch server eagerly.

"Holy shi-" Maru breathed out - voicing everyone's thoughts when number eleven's serve careened across the court. It was curved, and rotating wildly and had insane force behind it. Nishinoya pushed himself up and leaned over the railing, watching Niko with wide eyes. From above, Asahi could tell that would be one hell of a serve to try and receive. The rotation and speed was unbelievable.

Yet, neither Niko nor her team seemed frazzled by it. The space around her opened up as her teammates moved to allow her free movement. Niko shifted forward, her body angling down as she reached out with both arms. Her knees bent, one leg shifting backwards nearly to the point where she was kneeling - and the ball smashed into her arms. The force drove her body down and back - but she'd positioned herself just so she would not fall. At first, Asahi forgot how to breathe. Like it was barely any effort at all, Niko lifted the ball into the air.

Despite the curve and the rotation of the ball, in addition to the extreme force behind it, she'd sent it right to their setter. Asahi's mouth dropped open, and everything was drowned out as he, the spectators, and her teammates screamed in victory. Even as she stumbled back just a bit before regaining her solid footing, Niko exuded an air of absolute brilliance and confidence.

Asahi wasn't sure who was more surprised by her expert receive - Wakutani, or his teammates. Her teammates and the rest of the spectators seemed unsurprised by the action. It'd been enough to stun her opponents momentarily - and that moment's hesitation was all it took for Aoba Johsai to win the first set.

There were a few moments of silence, then Asahi, Nishinoya, Suga, and the rest of his group were yelling at the top of their lungs. "NICE RECEIVE!"

"GOOOO NIKO!"

"KOBAYASHI YESSSS!"

The crowd around them had joined in, but the boys were probably a bit too loud. Both teams turned towards the balcony as the score was being flipped. The second Niko's eyes landed on the ragtag bunch from Karasuno, she lit up. Then, her gaze found Asahi and she grinned wider than ever.

"ASAHI!" Niko yelled out, reaching a hand up as if to grab him right off of the balcony. He leaned across the railing, a smile stretching his lips. "You came to watch!" Her other hand gripped the front of her jersey lightly, and she bit her lower lip.

"I did - I should've done it sooner! You're amazing." He called out, laughing as she began walking backwards off of the court while they yelled to each other. "You're gonna win this!"

Her eyes lit up and she laughed, pressing her fingertips to her lips before blowing him a kiss. "Failure is not an option when you're here watching me!" Asahi grinned, cheeks coloring with a small blush. Too soon, Niko had to turn her attention back to her teammates, but it was pretty clear that she had even more of a pep in her step now - if that was even possible for the excitable blonde.

Niko's teammates flashed grins up towards the balcony at Asahi, nudging and teasing Niko as they prepared to start the next set. "Something tells me Wakutani's in for a rude awakening after this... We don't see it often… but Niko's a bit of a show off." Maru said between choked back laughter.

Asahi shifted to look at her, along with his teammates. "Really?" For some reason, he just couldn't picture the super sweet, bubbly girl being like that often.

"Oh, yeah. Whenever Oikawa-san or Iwaizumi-san stop by to watch or anything, then it's like she pulls out all stops and is a different person. It's pretty funny." This time, it was the boy next to Maru who had spoken. He was shaking his head, grinning. "Something tells me that's gonna happen with you here, too."

His face grew warm again, but Asahi simply grinned and looked towards the blonde libero again. He'd never admit it out loud, but… he was kind of excited to watch Niko show off - especially knowing it was specifically for him.

Just like the two Aoba Johsai students had said… the following set was filled with even more spectacular receives and moves from Niko. And after every point her team scored, Niko would glance up and grin at Asahi. She even did three 'libero tosses' - a move that Nishinoya wondered if she'd gotten from Watari, or the other way around.

Maru was quick to answer that question. "She 'borrowed' that move from Watari-kun. He did it first, and she asked him to teach her. Kobayashi-chan doesn't do it often, though."

By the time the second set was over, Asahi swore he'd grinned more than he possibly ever had in his life up until that point. Niko had been so much fun to watch, and the practice match was just as intense as a real one would be, he was pretty sure. While both teams had tried new things during the match, neither of them went easy on one another either.

"Asahiiii!" Niko called out for him, waving at him. "Come here!" She looked around at her teammates for a moment before staring up at him with a brilliant grin. "Pleassseee~"

"Okay." He chuckled, pushing himself back from the railing.

"Niko-chan!" Nishinoya yelled from behind him as he walked to the doors. "You were awesome! Like zoom, guuaahhh, blam! So cool!" Asahi could hear her laughter, but missed her response as he let the doors close behind him.

* * *

A/N: Hello again! I was out of town and without internet for a few days, hence the slight lateness of this chapter. Please forgive me! With this chapter, I figured it was about time that Asahi went to watch Niko practice after her coming to his a few times now :p As always, thank you for your support and I hope you'll leave me feedback! I am still learning and growing as a writer, and every review helps me get better! Thank you so much :)

eunoiapaint - heck yes we do :) Ahaha, sorry about that! Had to keep you guys on the edge of your seats for a while, you know ;) thank you so much! :)

koemia - awww, thank you so much! Glad to hear you're enjoying it! Please don't tell your dentist, they might not support me! :P Unfortunately, I'm a little evil and you'll have to wait one [maybe two] more chapters to find that out ;) It won't be long now, though!


	17. Burning, Twisting, Suffocating

Two weeks after Niko broke down and confessed about Nao's bullying to her friends, and then to Asahi, it was time for the next practice. This time, Niko steeled herself beforehand and prepared herself for a confrontation. Despite telling Tōru, Hajime, and Asahi that she would tell the coaches about it…. The train ride had given her time to build up her nerves.

By the time she was disembarking from the train, Niko decided to try one more route. Directly confronting Nao. Did the prospect make her nervous? Beyond belief. Yet something in her clawed and shouted to try one more thing before she went to the coaches. Before she disrupted her team.

Typically, she jogged to the gymnasium. Today, Niko walked. Breathing in slow, deep breaths, trying to clear her head. She needed the time to settle herself down and go in with a definite line of action.

Practice began at nine, and Niko had arrived at just after eight. Normally, she arrived even earlier because she went for a run around the facilities, but today she skipped that. Nao usually got there at about eight-fifteen, and the rest of the girls began arriving five minutes after that - if not sooner.

Niko had seated herself on one of the benches in the locker room, hands clasped and hanging between her knees as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. When the door opened, she opened her eyes a sliver and peered towards the end of the lockers. Nao came around the corner, and as soon as she saw the libero, her lips turned down in a nasty frown.

"Meditating before practice isn't going to make you any better at the sport, you know." This time, Niko opened her eyes fully and peered up at Nao. The taller girl stood in front of her now, sneering down at her. "Oh, sorry, I forgot you took an oath of silence. What a relief, since hearing your voice makes me nauseous."

The wing spiker let out a harsh laugh, starting to turn away. "We have been teammates for over two months." Nao paused, eyes narrowing. "Since day one, you have made it your mission to berate every aspect of me, belittle me, and just plain bully me - and more recently, my relationship." Niko stood up, tilting her head up to look at her teammate.

"My relationship, which you know nothing about. My talent, which you refuse to acknowledge. My personality, which only you seem to find grating. My everything, which you have never once provided a reason for." As Nao's mouth opened, the libero forged forward and didn't give her time to interject. "I had never met you before our first practice. We did not attend the same schools, we never competed against one another. And yet, for some reason, you hate me. You have since before we even met, apparently. Why?"

Lifting her chin, Niko met Nao's angry glare head on. For weeks, no, months - she'd let Nao have her way. She allowed her to take her rage out on her, excused her behavior and words for her, and continually forgave her no matter what. Every practice, she let the words slide off of her, the sneers, the remarks, the jeers, the jabs, the everything - simply bounce right off. Until the words became sharper, the jabs became harder, and her armor began to dent.

Then, Nao criticised her relationship, planted seeds of doubt in her mind and cultivated them with just a few simple words. Niko had allowed that - she's allowed the other girl to turn her mind into a fertile breeding ground for negativity, and sow the seeds of fear, anxiety, and self doubt. In her attempt to be kind, she'd let Nao turn her own mind against her.

Not anymore. Never again. "You want to hate me, you can hate me. You can despise me, you can use every fibre of your being to burn that feeling inside of you. But I deserve to know why. So tell me, Nao. Why is it? Why do you see me and your insides fill with rage?" Niko's back straightened, and her gaze hardened, determination filling her very core. Even as Nao whirled on her and stepped forward, into her space.

"Why? Why?" The wing spiker laughed, leaning down and getting right in Niko's face as she spat the words. "Because you are a useless piece of shit. You parade around like you're some sort of savior to volleyball, like you never make mistakes. There are people out there much better than you, but you've got the coaches wrapped around your little finger."

Nao jabbed her finger against Niko's chest harshly. "Just because you have stamina doesn't make you the best libero in the damn world. You're clumsy, you bring the team down, and there is nothing about you that is a redeeming quality." Another jab, rougher this time. "Other people practiced and practiced and worked their asses off for the chance to join this team, and you, who has never worked hard a day in your life, came sweeping in and stole it from the people who really deserved it."

With every word, the picture was becoming clearer to Niko. The real reason behind Nao's hatred. "You think because you know your district's top setter, because you're dating someone from what was once a powerhouse school, that you are the best fit for our team. We'd be better off if you'd just quit, so the next in line can come and allow us to work with a real libero." This time when Nao thrust her finger against Niko's chest, it was with enough force to send the blonde stumbling back a step.

Not enough to deter the girl from coming right back up and staring at Nao intensely. "Who, then? Tell me - who is a better choice than I am?" She lifted her chin defiantly, challenging the wing spiker. "I'm not sure if you simply don't read, but last I checked, the top volleyball players are ranked annually. The top ten aces, the top five wing spikers, middle blockers, setters, and liberos. And, again, last I knew," Niko shoved the wing spiker's hand away from her, "I'm at the top of the list of female liberos. Or has that changed?"

Nao's lips opened in a snarl, but Niko continued. "And unlike you, who has never met me, nor played against me, the people that created that list dug deep and watched hours upon hours of volleyball matches and practices to find the ones that fit their rankings best. Unlike you, they questioned my teammates, they reviewed my practice schedule, they watched my matches. So unless you're saying that your judgement is better than that of an entire committee's, then I'm inclined to believe that you are, in fact, wrong."

Generally, Niko hated bringing up the rankings. She'd joke about them with close friends occasionally, and accepted compliments concerning it from other players or fans, but it wasn't something she'd usually bring up on her own. It felt too much like bragging. Niko found herself unable to care about that in this moment.

Nao had berated her abilities, her practice and work ethic, and everything else - and enough was enough. Niko hadn't pushed herself beyond her limits on a regular basis to be told that she wasn't good enough for a team she was hand picked for by one childish person. She hadn't spent hours upon hours upon hours practicing, teaching herself new things and perfecting old ones just to be told she wasn't a good volleyball player. Volleyball - it was her absolute passion, her favorite thing, and she strove to be better every single day.

Making it to this team wasn't enough for her - she knew better than anyone that she needed to continue to practice, to keep getting better. There were areas that she was weak in, like left-handed spikes and serves, as well as ceiling serves, and more. Conversely, there were areas that she excelled in - not by luck, or some genius ability, but by sheer determination and countless hours of honing her body into the perfect defensive weapon.

One girl wasn't going to be enough to make Niko give it all up, to quit when she was on the path to her life's goal. Nao wasn't going to force her to forget about it all. Niko simply wouldn't allow it anymore.

"You fucking bitch." Nao suddenly grabbed the front of Niko's shirt, yanking her forward and up into her face. "Tell that to the girl that spent all of her free time practicing, spent all of her money on top notch coaches, and used every ounce of her soul to improve herself - just to be told she wasn't good enough. That she was useless, compared to you. _Tell that to her._ " She shouted in the libero's face.

While Niko's heart ached, for the girl Nao had yet to name, she could not back down here. "It's not my fault that she didn't make the cut. Whoever she is, it's not my fault that the committee didn't invite her. I worked my ass off to get here - just like everybody else did. It's not _my fault! Why the hell should I have to give up my spot on this team, my happiness, just to make you or anyone else feel better?!_ " By the end of it, Niko was yelling as well.

Her insides were on fire, her lungs were burning, her heart was twisting and aching, and she felt like she was suffocating in her frustration, her anger. Niko was so tired of being a stepping stone, a pebble to throw away, dirt under Nao's feet. She'd worked hard, she'd pushed herself beyond her limits over and over again to get her. It wasn't her damn fault.

Then, Nao practically snarled and suddenly lifted Niko up by the shirt and quite literally tossed her backwards, towards the lockers. That was going to leave a bruise- "Whoa, whoa, what the fuck-" Someone had darted behind Niko, slipping their hands under her arms and catching her fall before she tumbled into the lockers.

"Back the fuck off, Nao. Right now. _I said back off._ " Niko recognized that voice as Kasumi. As the person behind her set her down lightly, she looked back. Yumi gave her a small nod as Niko smiled at her in thanks.

"You alright?" Yumi asked, setting a hand on Niko's shoulder lightly. She squeezed lightly, waiting as Niko took a deep breath and straightened up.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you. That would've left a mark, had I hit the lockers." The grin that stretched across her lips was slightly rueful. The taller girl eyed Niko for a moment before nodding slowly.

"No problem."

"Get the fuck out of my way, Matsumoto." Nao's low voice made both girls look over. Kasumi was standing in front of Nao, gripping her shirt in a tight fist. Her whole body was tensed, like a coiled spring ready to launch.

Kasumi walked forward, shoving Nao further backwards, away from Niko and Yumi. "Absolutely not. You wanna throw someone? Try throwing me." In moments, Kasumi had the other wing spiker pressed against the far wall, leaning down with a dangerous glare on her face. "C'mon, since you wanna push someone around, why don't you do it to me? You're tough shit, yeah? Show me that toughness, Nao. Shove me. Pick me up and throw me against the lockers."

"Fuck off. This has nothing to do with you, shit-for-brains-"

Nao's words were cut off when the taller spiker leaned in closer suddenly. "Say that again. Say it again, Nao. Cause I'm pretty damn sure you trying to throw around our team's libero has _everything_ to do with me, and the rest of our teammates too. Hell, I'm pretty sure it has a lot to do with our coaches." Niko bit her lip, frowning - while Nao drew back and glowered.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Do you want to fucking bet?"

The two were locked in a glare-off for several long seconds before someone else showed up. "Whoa, what's going on?" Sato Rika stood at the end of the row of lockers, staring at Kasumi and Nao with wide eyes. Her gaze darted to Niko and Yumi, a frown starting to curl her lips down.

"Nothing. Screw off." Nao used the moment's distraction to pry Kasumi's fingers from her shirt and practically dash out of the locker rooms with her bag in hand. The last glare she sent Niko was missed by none of the four girls.

Sighing, Niko leaned back against the lockers and let her shoulders sag. "You sure you're okay?" Yumi asked again, squeezing her shoulder gently. Right now, all Niko could do was nod.

"We walked in at the end of that argument. I don't know anything about it, but by the time we got to the end of the lockers, Nao had grabbed Niko by the shirt. Honestly, I'm just glad Yumi was fast to react." Kasumi turned, glaring towards the door with her hands in tight fists by her sides. Rika frowned, approaching slowly. "Nao threw Niko across the fucking aisle - she'd have slammed right into the lockers if Yumi hadn't grabbed her."

Rika's eyes widened, and she turned to Niko. "Are you sure you're okay? What the hell - she's never gotten that violent with you before. What happened?" Niko knew that she was concerned for her, and that was endearing, but honestly… right now, all she wanted to do was lay down and sleep it off.

"Yeah." Instead, Niko spoke softly. "I'm alright. I'll explain later. We need to get ready for practice." It took a few minutes to convince the girls to let the incident go for now - and that was only achieved after Niko told them that the moment practice was over, she would tell them everything. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Five. That's how many balls that she has missed in the last twenty minutes. Maybe that wouldn't be crazy for a beginner, but it was beyond acceptable for Niko. Three of those had been due to Nao's interference. She'd stepped in her line of sight, moved into her way, jostled her during receives. The other two were her own mind distracting her.

Jaw clenching lightly, Niko sucked in a deep breath. Dwelling on Nao's words and actions was not useful, nor helpful. It was nothing that she could change right now. She would try to talk to her one more time after practice, and if that went downhill again…. Niko promised herself that she would talk to the coaches immediately.

Another ball was in the air, bouncing from her side's setter, Yumi, into the air and then Sato was smacking it down past the blockers on the other side with a personal time difference attack. One of the girls received it, and the ball went sailing over the net as a free ball.

"I've got it!" Niko called out, stepping forward, dropping her arms for the receive. Honing her focus in on the ball only, she ignored the sounds of approaching feet and calls of other girls and lifted it back into the air. As it bounced back to Yumi again, Niko fell back once again.

Nao was the one to jump up and spike the ball - pushing it past the blockers and out of reach of the ones in the back to land on the court. Another point for their team. Cheering, the girls grinned and nodded to one another. "Nice course." Maki nodded to Nao, eyes flicking to her and then forward again.

Laughing, the wing spiker nodded in reply. Niko couldn't help but think that the easygoing smile on her lips was disconcerting, given her earlier actions and words. When Kasumi glanced her way from across the net, all Niko could do was force a slight smile and shake her head discreetly.

Practice was a whirlwind of action. Rarely did the girls stop to rest for extended periods of time, and five-on-five games were the norm. The players on each team rotated and changed constantly, so that everyone could get used to working alongside one another. Coach Hisakawa had explained that by the time the competition started, he wanted the girls to know one another like the backs of their hands. To move fluidly, like clockwork.

It was a slow process, but the gears were slowly beginning to turn. The team grew from a disjointed group of ten volleyball players, to a more connected team. They were learning to trust one another, to rely on the girls around them to follow through on attacks, to defend, and more. They all strived to continue getting better, and being amongst their own teammates was enough to push them forward continually.

The ball flew up high above their heads, arcing towards the edge of the court. Niko's gaze followed it, her body lowering and angling as she followed it. "It's out!" She called, never taking her eyes off the ball - until Nao was suddenly there, hitting it back towards the other side of the court.

"That wasn't out!" She yelled, shooting a brief glare at Niko before rushing towards the net. Yes, it was. Niko sucked in a breath, choosing not to reply right now. Her teammates scrambled for the ball, easily bouncing it from one to the other and up for the setter again.

When Nao spiked it this time, she was met with a solid receive. In moments, Kasumi was leaping into the air and the ball practically slid right to her hand. Niko's tongue darted out, and she leapt forward. The spike slammed the volleyball into her arms, but the libero was able to lift it back into the air with a little difficulty. "Sorry, it's short!"

Again, her team spiked - and again, it was received. Several times, this happened. The rally continued, and neither team scored yet. Every time she crossed paths with Nao, the girl's face was angrier and angrier. Then, Matsumoto tapped the ball - a feint. Niko's been watching her closely, and anticipating it, she jumped forward. Her hand slid out to slip between the ball and the floor, lips parted and eyes wide.

Everything happened at once. The ball hit Niko's hand and bounced up, and in the next second, a foot came crashing down on her wrist. Even over the yells for the ball and sneakers squeaking on the floor, Niko heard the snap of bone. Her stomach leapt to her throat, and a strangled cry escaped her mouth. At the same time, she heard someone yell. "NAO YOU PIECE OF SHIT-"

A whistle was blown, the foot moved from her wrist and all Niko could do was let out a broken gasp as pain bloomed through her wrist and made tears prick at her eyes. Instinctively, she curled up, bringing her arm in close to her. Her breath caught in her throat, and Niko had to bite back the moan of pain that begged to burst from her lips.

"Kobayashi- Kobayashi, you need to let me see it-" The sound of Coach Tsubasa's voice seemed so distant. Needles of pain shot through her every nerve with each slight jostle and movement of her arm.

"Back up, Matsumoto - we've got this covered." Hisakawa's voice, this time, further away. "Nao, come with me - now."

"She fucking did that on purpose!" Kasumi yelled. The murmurs of her teammates surrounded her, and Niko felt several hands come to rest on her - on her shoulder, back, ankle, leg. A sob tore its way through her throat, and Niko had to force herself to uncurl.

Her entire body was shaking, she was shaking like a leaf. Pain was overriding all of her other senses, and all Niko could focus on was how much her wrist _hurt_. Tears were slipping from her eyes, a slow leak as she uncurled her arm and held it out to her coach. Her eyes couldn't focus enough on her own hand to be able to see anything clearly.

As it turned out, she didn't need to. "Oh my god." Someone whispered, and a hand squeezed Niko's shoulder. Coach Tsubasa touched her arm, stretching it gingerly and her fingers danced along her skin towards her wrist. The second her fingers touched the area around Niko's wrist, the girl gasped as fire-hot pain lanced through her.

A moment later, another pair of hands was touching her arm. Through tear-blurred vision, all Niko could see was the blue gloves they wore. Someone from the first aide office? They prodded her wrist, turning it gently and Niko cried out, instinctively jerking away from the painful touches.

"It's definitely broken." No, no, no, no - no, that couldn't- no, she was fine- she was- Niko's breath came in shorter gasps, each one tearing through her lungs and throat, burning her insides. Tears welled up faster, and her blurry vision narrowed further. "We need to take her to the medical wing. Kobayashi-san, can you stand?"

Her mind was going blank. The words weren't piercing through the fog that had descended over her. She heard them clearly, but all Niko could focus on was her steadily narrowing vision. "Kobayashi, slow down your breaths- you need to breathe, calm down-"

"Niko, look at me." Yumi. She'd come to kneel right in front of the libero, leaning down so her face was directly in her line of sight. "Look at me. Focus on me." Niko managed to stare at her, eyes wide. "Breathe with me. In," Yumi opened her mouth, taking in a long, deep breath which Niko shakily mimicked, "and out." Again, Niko followed the setter's lead.

For what seemed like hours, Niko lay on the floor, breathing in and out to the time of Yumi's words, until her vision cleared and the numbness in her mind faded away. Blinking away tears, she let out a low whimper again as she struggled to sit up. Several hands helped guide her up. "Can you stand up?" Yumi was staying directly in her line of sight, giving Niko something - someone to focus on.

Slowly, Niko nodded. She pulled her wrist back towards her body, cradling it against her gingerly as she slowly shifted to her feet. Her teammates kept their hands on her, supporting her the entire time. When she was finally standing up straight, another wave of pain coursed up from her wrist, through her arm, and fogging her brain for a second.

"C'mon, let's get her to the medic building. They'll need to take x-rays to determine how bad it is." The paramedic spoke, and Niko realized she didn't even know his name. He'd been there, watching all of their practices since the first day but she'd never even bothered to ask his name. How rude could she be?

"Wait here, everyone. I'll go with Kobayashi. Don't stop practicing - work on your serves for now. Hisakawa-san or I will be back in a while to check in and go from there." Coach Tsubasa told the girls that had gathered around, before resting her hand on Niko's shoulder and walking out of the gymnasium with her and the paramedic.

The walk to the medical building passed in a blur - Niko couldn't have told anyone how she got there, were someone to ask. She knew that there was a medical facility on campus. The school they practiced at had the best sports program in the country, and with that came the benefits of having an on-campus 'hospital'. It was something she'd be thankful for later, when the pain dulled and she was able to think clearly.

* * *

A/N: Alright, here goes the beginning of the climax to the 'Reign of Nao', as I've taken to calling it! This has been in the works for a while, and over the next 3-4 chapters, it will all begin to fall into place. Hope you still like me after this chapter :p

eunoiapaint - As always, thank you so much! Your continued support and your review every chapter is something I appreciate and look forward to so much!


	18. Fair

It was taking everything in her to not go find Nao and go off on her. Everyone else on the team was in agreement with the observation that Nao had stomped on Niko's foot on purpose. There was no doubt in anyone's mind.

Niko had leapt for the ball, sliding forward and getting it up in the air, and Nao had turned to watch her. The look on her face had been one of absolute rage, Kasumi remembered clearly. As Niko stretched out her hand, Nao's lips curled into a twisted snarl and she lifted her foot and followed Niko's arm with it. When she'd stomped on the libero's wrist, she was wearing the nastiest glare any of them had ever seen.

Kasumi's hand hit the ball as it was tossed up for her with way more force than intended. It sailed across the gym like a missile and hit the floor on the opposite side with a resounding thud. "Hey, take a break. You're way too wound up." Despite knowing that she was right, all Kasumi could do was turn away from Yumi and head to the back of the line again.

"Seriously, Matsumoto." Yumi had motioned to the other girls, asking for a minute before they continued. Following after her, the setter grabbed her shoulder. "You're gonna end up hurting yourself. Go sit and calm down. We're all just as upset as you are, but that doesn't mean hurting ourselves in that frustration."

"It's bad enough as it is. Just take a break and come back to it." Rika tapped Kasumi's arm lightly. Every ounce of her being strained against the very idea of walking off of the court…. But in the end, she knew it was for the best. Without another word, she slipped away from the two girls and headed to the benches.

Her teammates resumed serving practice after a few moments of hesitation, and the sound of volleyballs slamming against the floor became Kasumi's point of focus. The next time she opened her eyes, it was when a bag somewhere near her vibrated for the seventh time in a row. "Oi." She called out, making her teammates pause. "Someone's bag keeps vibrating."

Again, the vibration buzzed against the floor, and Kasumi followed it to a simple, black bag on the floor. Picking it up, she showed it to the girls. "Whose is this? It's not stopping."

"It's Niko's." Maki Tatsuo said with a frown. "Should… should we answer it?" No one seemed to know the answer. It was an invasion of privacy to go through someone else's bag and answer their phone. Or, given the circumstances, would it be okay?

The vibrating died off, and then a second later, it started up yet again. "I mean, it's probably her soulmate, right?" Suzuki Etsuko quipped softly, staring at the bag with furrowed brows. "Usually her phone doesn't go off like that during practice."

That was all Kasumi needed to hear to make the decision. Opening Niko's bag, she rifled through it briefly and grabbed onto the still-vibrating cell phone. Sliding her finger across the screen, she put the phone to her ear.

" _Niko? Are you okay? What happened?"_

"Um, hey-" Kasumi's mind blanked, and she grimaced upon realizing that she didn't know what his name was. She should've at least looked before she answered. On the other end of the line, absolute silence met her ears. "Sorry, I don't actually know your name. Niko's in the infirmary. N- There was an incident during practice."

For a while, the wing spiker wondered if the caller had disconnected. There was a long pause of absolute silence, then a sharp intake of breath. "What happened? Is she alright?" Another pause, shorter this time. "Asahi- um, Azumane Asahi. By the way."

"What happened? Um-" From across the court, Yumi, Rika, and several others shook their heads lightly. It probably wasn't a great idea to go into details on the phone. "I can't say right now- I'm sorry. Niko's- Her wrist is-" She was struggling, not sure what she could or couldn't say. Instinct told her to tell him exactly what happened, and the severity of Niko's injuries… but until Nao was dealt with, that probably wasn't for the best. "I'm sorry. I can't say much. She's in the infirmary, so we'll know more once she's back. Probably, she'll-"

"She's probably going to be sent home early, is what Kasumi was trying to say." The phone was plucked from her grip, and Yumi took over where she left off. "We'll tell her you called. One of the coaches is probably going to call her parents soon."

* * *

He'd been at practice, working with Suga on their synchronized attack when the sudden, sharp and insistent pain in his wrist made him wince with a hiss. It hadn't taken him more than a few seconds to realize it wasn't his own pain that he was feeling.

"Asahi? You alright?" Daichi called out to him from the other side of the gym. All eyes were on him, including Coach Ukai's. Rubbing his wrist lightly, Asahi winced again.

"I think- Yeah, I'm fine. Niko's the one that's hurt." He grimaced as another spike of pain shot through him. What happened? She was at practice today, in Tokyo, no less. He shouldn't have been able to feel the pain so clearly, unless it was-

"Take a break and call her." Ukai cut into his rambling thoughts. Judging from the grim expression on his face, the coach understood the severity of the injury as well. Whatever had happened wasn't just from receiving a ball to the wrist or anything simple like that.

Eight times - that's how many attempts to call her Asahi had had to make before the phone was answered. The words rushed out of his mouth the second the ringing ended and someone picked up. "Niko? Are you okay? What happened?"

The voice on the other end of the line was not Niko. He didn't recognize it at all. Asahi's mind was racing. One of her teammates? Why would her teammates have her phone - why didn't she have it on her? He missed the girl on the other end of the line explaining that Niko was in the infirmary at first. His mind was running rampant with possibilities, and he forgot to even reply.

Slowly, he pulled himself up from that panic and replied. "What happened? Is she alright?" Two simple questions, yet they couldn't give him a straight answer. All they were saying was that there was an 'incident' during practice. Her wrist was injured, she was in the infirmary, and she was going to be sent home early, most likely.

Honestly, by the time he hung up, Asahi was just as worried and confused as he'd been beforehand. Their minimal information had solved nothing. Thumbing through his contacts, Asahi tapped his foot against the ground nervously. His finger hovered above one of the two names that Niko had put in his phone some weeks ago. Should he let them know?

If it were him… Taking a deep breath, Asahi pressed 'call' and put his phone back to his ear. There was no question about whether or not they should at least be informed. All Asahi could hope was that Hajime answered calls from unknown numbers.

* * *

A low grunt left his mouth as Tōru wiped the towel across his sweaty face. "Iwa-chan!" He huffed, grabbing onto the plain sports bag that had been steadily vibrating for at least a minute straight. As Hajime turned towards him with a slightly raised brow, the setter swung the bag and threw it at him. "Your phone's going crazy. Or did you buy a new toy you-" The water bottle that his friend had previously been clutching sailed straight for his face and Tōru ducked.

"You're so violent! Don't throw things at your captain!" He shouted, half-glaring at his ace and vice captain. The water bottle hit the floor somewhere behind him, but Tōru didn't bother looking for it. Instead, he stepped forward to watch as Hajime pulled his phone from his bag. "Who's calling you so incessantly? Girlfriend maybe? No, impossible-" Grinning coyly, Tōru barely dodged the hand that shot out towards his head.

"Shut up, shittykawa. I don't know the number. They've called me a few times, though." Hajime's brow lifted as he appraised the number on his phone. After a moment of hesitation, he tilted his phone towards Tōru. Much like his friend, he didn't recognize the phone number at all. The only thing he could think of was if it was the hotel Niko was staying at or something. "Maybe it's the goblin?"

Clearly, the two were on the same wavelength about that idea. With a mutual shrug, the duo glanced at one another again before Hajime lifted the phone to his ear, swiping left to answer the call as he did. "Hello?" Whoever was on the other end wasn't Niko, judging from the look on the ace's face. Tōru sidled up closer, intending on eavesdropping.

Luckily for him, Hajime was apparently intending on letting the whole gymnasium listen. He pulled the phone away from his ear and pressed a button on the screen. Moments later, goatee ace- er, Asahi's voice brought the surrounding players' attention to the device.

" _Niko's been injured."_ Ice filled his veins in a split second. The rushing of freezing cold waves through his brain drowned out whatever else Asahi had been following that up with. Niko- it had to be serious, if Asahi was calling to tell them. His heart pounded against his ribcage, eyes widening. What happened?

"Wait, wait, what exactly happened?" Despite the calm tone of his voice, Hajime's entire body was stilled, poised as if ready to run at a moment's notice. His jaw was clenched, and his free hand tightened into a fist so harshly his knuckles were turning white.

" _I… I don't know. They wouldn't - or couldn't, tell me. All they said is something happened to her wrist, and she's-"_ There was an audible inhale on the other end of the line. Tōru had to bite back the words that threatened to spill from his mouth in a violent scream. " _They're going to call her parents. She's probably going home early. It's- It's serious. I felt it - and it hurts. More than any injury I've ever gotten on my own."_

The silence that followed was overwhelming. No one in the gymnasium seemed like they dared to move, or even breathe. Then, both coaches Irihata and Mizoguchi were stepping away from the sidelines of the court and approaching Tōru and Hajime. "I know it's easier said than done, but don't panic about this. They're at the university sports facility - there's a full medical building there specifically for the players. Whatever happened, they'll be getting her taken care of already." Coach Irihata set his hand on Hajime's shoulder, leveling a stare at him.

"Her parents will be under her emergency contacts - so they'll no doubt contact them like you said, but she's eighteen so what happens next will be her decision. Meaning whether she continues treatment there, or transfers her care to the hospital here. All anyone can do right now is wait to hear from Niko herself." The coach's gaze settled on Tōru, as if he was reading his mind and knew that the setter had just been thinking about train schedules and how long it'd take to get to Tokyo…

" _Yeah. I just- I wanted to let you guys know. I'd want to know, you know- if our roles were reversed."_ Asahi spoke haltingly, sharp hisses of what Tōru could only assume was pain breaking up his sentences. That did little to abate the overwhelming worry that was taking over his every thought. If anything, the sounds escalated it further.

A glance at Hajime's face told Tōru all he needed to know about his friend - he was in the exact same boat. The slight furrow of his brows, the clenching of his jaw, his stiff posture - it was like one big warning sign that the ace was on the edge of the line between freaking out and remaining calm. "Yeah-thanks." The words came out slowly, forced from Hajime's mouth like they were a burden on his tongue.

There was a small beat of hesitation, then Asahi simply grunted and mumbled. " _I'll let you know when I hear anything."_ Then, he hung up. Hajime's hand only gripped his phone tighter. Tōru knew his mind was racing just like his was. What could they do for her now? Did they need to go to the station to get a train to Tokyo? Did they need to call her? Should they call her parents just in case the coaches couldn't get through to them? What had happened? How bad was it?

A million questions - but none of them could be answered right now. "Take a break, you two. If you can't calm down, go for a run, or step outside, dunk your head in water, whatever you need to cool off. There's no use in standing around dawdling when there's nothing to be done about it right now." Although they sounded harsh, the words Coach Irihata spoke were anything but unkind. He knew better than anyone else in the room how close the ace and setter duo were to Niko.

A long pause of silence separated the coach's words from any response. Until finally, stiffly, Hajime nodded and muttered an 'alright'. With his fists clenched at his sides, Tōru drew in a deep breath and gave a slight jerk of his chin in acceptance. Cool off, calm down. He had to repeat that mantra in his head as he ran around the building, hoping it would do something to calm the rapid beating of his heart.

* * *

It _hurt._ Every slight movement, little tug, pokes, prods. It brought tears to her eyes that Niko was rapidly trying to blink back. But the feeling of her stomach leaping into her throat only worsened the situation. The doctor - what was his name again? For the life of her, Niko couldn't remember - the simple act of forcing herself not to puke or cry was taking up all of her brain power right now.

The doctor had been extremely kind, and was moving with the utmost care and gentleness but, as he explained, it was impossible to keep her out of pain completely. She'd just finished having X-Rays taken of her wrist - and the technician had had to maneuver her arm into various positions for clear pictures. He was led back into the room she'd been put into initially and the technician motioned for her to sit on the exam bed once again.

Coach Tsubasa stood from her seat and grabbed on her arm lightly. Gingerly, Niko stepped up to the bed and slid onto it with some help from the older woman. "You hanging in there, Kobayashi?" She bent down a bit, looking into Niko's slightly dazed eyes.

It took what felt like forever for her body to respond to the guidings of her mind. A miniscule, barely-there nod was the only thing Niko managed to get out. Even though the pain was fading back to dull, constant throbbing, her mind was still overwhelmed with everything else.

The pain - it was bearable. The physical pain, that is. The thought of her volleyball career…. If it ended- if she couldn't continue, if this didn't heal- what if it was so bad it wouldn't heal properly ever? What if she needed surgery to repair it? She was going to miss nationals - wasn't she? Their opportunity to go - it was slipping through her fingers. The team would be devastated. Could they beat Niiyama? Yes- one thousand yeses, but damnit she wanted to be there when it happened.

Her breath came in shorter bursts, chest rising and falling rapidly. Would she be kicked off of this team? What if she couldn't keep participating? The edges of her vision were going dark, the only thing Niko could focus on was her swollen, purple and red wrist. Was Asahi feeling this as well? Was she far enough away for it to turn into a dull ache for him? The tears she'd been keeping at bay rose back up, burning her eyes with every blink as she tried to keep them down. What was she going to do without volleyball in her life? What if she was messing up Asahi's playing as well?

Just like that, the dam broke. Her breath came in ragged gasps, sobs tearing past her lips and the tears she'd so desperately been fighting off rose with a vengeance and once they began leaking out, she couldn't stop them. "There we go, let it all out." Tsubasa's arms wrapped very softly around her shoulders, and Niko pressed her face into the woman's shoulder as she cried.

It wasn't fair.

It wasn't _fair._ She'd worked so hard. When everyone else was taking a break from practice to enjoy the fresh air, or hang out with friends, she was sneaking in to play with the boys teams. When it was spring break, she would go to community centers and practice with the players there. On her team's free days, she'd go for a run and rope Hajime and Tōru into helping her. She stayed on top of her studies so she never had to worry about her grades slipping too low. She poured her heart and soul into volleyball. Every ounce of her being, every drop of herself - it was all there. On the court.

 _It wasn't fair._

What had she done to deserve this? Why did that- that girl hate her so much? So much that she would- she would- Even in her mind, Niko couldn't complete that train of thought. It just tore another sob from her lips.

There, in the university sports medical center, Niko cried for the first time in years. She held onto her coach with one hand, her other hanging limply between them and absolutely soaked her shirt. Every ounce of pain from the past few months, the overwhelming despair at her current situation - it all came pouring out of her in an unstoppable flood.

Finally, after she'd cried every tear she possibly could, the blonde girl pulled away from Tsubasa slowly. Her face felt stiff, and she knew her eyes were puffy beyond belief. Tsubasa simply let her pull back, hands shifting to hold onto her shoulders gently. Eyes still burning, Niko glanced around the room and immediately flushed bright red.

The doctor from before sat in a stool a few feet away, and two people in scrubs stood slightly behind him. One was the x-ray technician, the other she didn't recognize. Both the technician and new person looked mildly uncomfortable, but met her gaze nonetheless.

"Miss Kobayashi." The doctor scooted forward on the stool, holding the x-ray images in hand. "First and foremost - your wrist will recover." Relief flooded through her every crevice. "However, it will be a long road of physical therapy and several weeks of wearing a splint." Even those words couldn't dull the sense of absolute ecstasy Niko felt. "You were lucky - the break is totally clean."

He lifted one of the images, sliding his pinky along the clear break in her bones. "There's no fragmentation, nor any other smaller fractures in the bones. Which means setting it will be simple." Dr. Ichibata - Niko finally remembered to look at his nametag - smiled at her. "There's only minor swelling, so we can go ahead and give you what's known as a back slab, or plaster splint - basically half a cast. You'll wear it for a few weeks, then return here or go to your personal physician for a checkup."

"I'd like to come back here." Niko's voice sounded hoarse, and her voice broke at the end of the sentence. Too much crying, probably. Tsubasa reappeared next to her - when had she walked away? - with a cup of water. Taking it with her uninjured hand, Niko sipped it and hesitantly met the doctor's gaze.

Smiling, he nodded. "That was my recommendation, honestly. I'm sure your personal physician is terrific, but I'd feel more peace of mind if you came back here." Niko was sure there was more to it than that, but she wasn't about to argue. "We'll go ahead and fix you up with the splint - it's going to be uncomfortable at first. I've also already called in a prescription of that will help your pain, and they're anti-inflammatory medication to help with the swelling for you. You'll go ahead and take your first pill once we've finished up here. Any questions?"

Niko shook her head. "Okay. You already met Junto-kun, who helped with your x-rays. Keiju here," The new person stepped forward with a gentle smile, "will be helping me fix you up with a splint. Please forgive us for the discomfort you're about to feel." She nodded mutely. "Go ahead and hold out your arm, please."

The whole process only took a few moments, but it still was enough to cause tears to prick at the corners of her eyes as every tug or soft movement jostled Niko's wrist. Once her arm was wrapped from hand to just below her elbow in blue - her color choice - bandages, she was finally able to let her arm rest at her side again. It felt weird. The plaster was still slightly wet under the bandages - that would take about fifteen minutes to dry, Keiju had told her when she'd jumped at the cool feeling of the wet plaster.

A few minutes later, she was given a pill that she hurriedly swallowed. It'd take about thirty minutes to an hour to kick in, they told her. "Now, some basic rules - no practicing with this on. If you jostle your arm the wrong way, you could end up with worse injuries. Don't run around, don't try to practice with just your left arm." Doctor Irihata fixed her with a stare - clearly he knew what the sports kids were like. "In about four weeks, you'll come back here and we'll recheck it. If it looks healed, we'll remove the splint and get you started on physical therapy with your wrist. It may not heal fully in four weeks, though. It could take up to eight weeks - but I'm hoping that since it was such a clean break, you'll be good to go in four. When you bathe, make sure you wrap the arm in plastic and make sure it doesn't get wet. If it gets wet, you'll need to come back here and we'll have to redo the whole process. It'll itch - don't scratch it."

It was a lot of information, she had to admit. Slowly, Niko nodded once. "Alright. You're free to go, then. Here's my card if you need anything - call at any time. If I'm not available, you can leave a message and I'll get back to you within a few hours usually. Take care, Kobayashi-chan. You'll be back on the court in no time." The doctor smiled kindly at her, patting her shoulder lightly before stepping back. He and the two assistants - or were they nurses? Technicians? Niko wasn't sure what to call them - whatever they were, they left with him after bidding her goodbye.

"I called your parents while you were getting your x-rays - they're worried, and asked for you to call them once you were done here. We'd planned on sending you home on the train, but the medication may make you drowsy so unless one of the other girls can go with you, I can take the train to your city. Your parents can meet us at the station, or someone else who can take you home. Is that okay?" Coach Tsubasa picked up a folder from the counter nearby and turned to face Niko again.

Her parents - honestly, Niko hadn't even thought about informing them through this whole ordeal. Tōru and Hajime, too. Asahi - oh no. Asahi. Suddenly, Niko stood up and walked towards the door. "That's fine! Thank you, Coach. I need to - I need to call Asahi-" Her vision swam - maybe she shouldn't have stood up so fast.

Again, an arm wrapped around her waist and Tsubasa held her up against her gently. "Whoa there, killer. Slow down. You'll be able to call him in a few minutes. Let's head back to the gymnasium. Get your stuff, then we need to have a meeting with Hisakawa about what happened - and what led up to it." The stare that the woman leveled her with spoke volumes. Clearly, she knew something had been going on for it to suddenly escalate so quickly.

In retrospect, Niko shouldn't have been surprised. She should've felt relieved, too - to know that she'd finally be telling her coaches, getting everything off of her chest. Instead, dread settled in her chest, weighing heavily on her heart.

* * *

A/N: Ahhdafdjakfda;ja I'm so sorry this is so late. To be perfectly frank, I've been struggling with my mental health quite a bit in these last few weeks and it turn a turn for the worse and this fell by the wayside. I can't apologize you guys enough. I am so appreciative of your continuing support, and I'm sorry I failed to meet my own deadline and your expectations for over two weeks. I just hope you can forgive me. I love you all!

chibi-no-baka - Don't you worry, Nao will no longer be the scourge upon Niko's life verryy soon. Doesn't mean it's going to be easy for our sweet little libero, though…. Am I evil? Possibly :p

eunoiapaint - Honestly, same. And I'm the one who wrote her LMAO :p I must say….. No comment on those questions. You will just have to wait and see ;) Niko's gonna have to rely heavily on her high school teammates to get through a few rounds of the preliminaries, but who knows what'll happen after that… ;) also so sorry I made you wait so long after such a killer cliffhanger! Please forgive me 3

Megan VR - ahaha I am partially pleased, partially apologetic at that :p I'm sorry I've kept you waiting for the next installment! Thank you for your support!

LavenderPenguin - Ahh, that will get discussed a bit more next chapter but the short answer is no :)


	19. The First Step

Sitting in the office with both coaches, staring at her from across the table, was… intimidating. Tsubasa had asked her to tell them exactly what has been going on between her and Nao, and Hisakawa nodded and clasped his hands together. Both coaches were staring at her, waiting patiently for her to start.

Unfortunately, it was harder than she'd have thought it was going to be. To tell them what had been going on. Every time she opened her mouth, her heart leapt up her throat and the air was squeezed out of her lungs. It was as if her body was screaming at her to just shut up, to run away, to protect herself. It was a battle between her body and her mind, and Niko was just a bystander in the fight.

Luckily for her, eventually, her mind won the battle. "Nao has been b-bul-" Again, her throat tightened and seized up and she frowned. "Nao has beenbullyingmesincethefirstweek." There - she had to say it quickly, to trick herself. The words jumbled together and it all came out softly but- Tsubasa took a deep breath in and straightened up in her chair. Next to her, Hisakawa frowned deeply.

"Since the first week?" Tsubasa repeated, asking for clarification. "What has this entailed?" Niko hesitated again, then looked at her hand as it lay in her lap, covered in blue bandages. All feelings of uneasiness dissipated. Someone who could do this to her over some stupid grudge… She was an idiot, Niko realized. She'd smiled and nodded along with Tōru and Hajime, and Asahi as well, when they'd told her that she needed to report the girl yet still felt like she'd be the one breaking up the team. Now, she realized how stupid that was. It wasn't her that was putting stress on the team - it was Nao.

With a deep breath in, Niko segued into her explanation. "It started out with just snide remarks. The first day… she told me I was showing off by running ahead of the group. That I had a big head, basically, because you knew about my stupid nickname on the court. Then later on, she told me I didn't deserve to be here." Biting her lip, the girl paused for only a moment before continuing.

"That was the main theme of… everything. Over time, it just slowly got worse. She told me constantly I didn't deserve to be here, I didn't have any talent, I was bringing the team down. Then she started talking about my personality and looks… saying things like I was unattractive, annoying…" Another pause. The next bit was the catalyst in her finally telling her best friends - and subsequently her soulmate. It still bothered her, to an extent. "That my soulmate was getting the terrible end of the deal…"

Drawing in a shaky breath, Niko stared at the table between them. Getting it all out… telling her coaches, it was equally freeing and anxiety-inducing. Yet, she knew she had to continue. "During practice, she'd get in the way of my receives constantly, aim her spikes for my ankles, my face, my chest… pretty much anywhere she could get it." Across from her, both coaches wore matching frowns.

"I'm sorry-" Tsubasa paused, eyes narrowed as she took a breath in. "I'm sorry, Kobayashi. We should've realized sooner. We saw those things happen, but thought they were just a matter of communication still forming in the team. And her spikes - I assumed she was just testing your skill. I'm so very sorry that we didn't realize the severity of it."

Hisakawa nodded, and Niko could see that his knuckles were white - how harshly he was clasping his hands together. "I'm sorry as well, Kobayashi. We were naive. Please forgive us for failing you in this matter." He inclined his head, and Tsubasa started to do the same.

"Nono," Niko blurted out, shaking her head rapidly, "you don't- I appreciate the apology, but it's not your fault. I should've- I should've come forward sooner. I just thought that…" Taking another deep breath, she chewed on her lower lip lightly. "I thought she'd get over whatever it was, and realize that we were teammates and just let it all go. I was the naive one."

Silence bloomed between the three, Niko unsure of how to continue or what else to say. Eventually, Tsubasa spoke up again. "Has she ever gotten physically violent with you before? Outside of the court?" Ah. Yeah, that would make sense - Niko should've realized they'd want to know that.

"Um… Not until this morning." Both coaches straightened up, waiting for her to continue. "I- I confronted her about it all. I asked her why she'd been this way to me all this time, because she'd never explained it. It escalated- she got in my face. She ended up picking me up by the front of my shirt and throwing me at the lockers." Niko could tell both of her coaches were surprised, and about to interrupt. She powered through. "If Mastumoto and Nakahara hadn't been there - I don't know how far it would've gone. Nakahara caught me before I hit the lockers. They wanted to tell you - Matsumoto did, especially. But I told them to leave it for now. That I'd talk to you after practice. I shouldn't have waited."

Her gaze dropped again, and she stared at her bandaged arm. She really, really, wished that she'd let Matsumoto tell them. How naive could she be? If only she'd let them tell the coaches - Niko wouldn't be in this situation. She wouldn't be in a cast weeks before Spring High preliminaries began.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Tsubasa stood up. "Alright. Thank you, Kobayashi. I'm sorry you had to go through this - and unfortunately, I agree that you should've told us sooner. I wish that you had. We're going to talk to your teammates, see this from a few more angles before we proceed. Take the time to call your parents and whoever else you need to - I am sure they're worried sick." Niko nodded, standing up slowly. "Make sure you sit down, too. Don't need you tripping over your feet and hurting yourself more. Let's go."

Her coach stepped around the table and wrapped an arm around her shoulders lightly. Her pain medication was indeed making her woozy, so Niko was grateful for the support. The walk back to the gymnasium was silent. Tsubasa seemed on edge - her whole body was tensed. Niko just wasn't sure what else she could say.

Which is why when they made it to the gymnasium, her shoulders sagged a bit in relief at the opportunity to escape from the awkward situation. The second they walked in, the entire team stopped what they were doing - diving receive drills, apparently. Kasumi leapt up from the ground and rushed forward, and the rest of the girls weren't far behind.

"Gentle, ladies - her wrist is broken." Tsubasa interjected before any of them could get close enough to hug or jostle her. Lucky that she had, as Kasumi immediately looked chagrined and blushed - clearly she hadn't been thinking about that.

"How are you feeling?" Yumi came up alongside Kasumi and smiled at Niko. Immediately, Niko smiled in return. She was beyond grateful for those two girls.

"Okay. They said that the break was clean, so it should hopefully be healed in about four weeks if all goes well. After that, I'll have physical therapy for a while. But I'll be able to play again so long as I take care of it."

"AHhhhh if I could pick you up and swing you around right now I would!" Kasumi yelled, laughing. The rest of the girls cheered their agreement, and began telling her how happy they were that she was going to be okay.

Before the conversation could dive further, Tsubasa interrupted. "I'd like to borrow you for a bit, actually, Matsumoto. Hisakawa and I would like to talk to all of you about what happened today, and everything leading up to it. Alright?" There was a round of 'yes's as everyone readily agreed. "Great. Let's go, Matsumoto."

"I'll see you in a bit. Um your phone was going crazy earlier - Azumane was calling you. I answered it - I'm sorry! We let him know you were injured and being treated. He sounded really freaked out." Kasumi looked a bit sheepish until Niko jolted forward.

"Thank you! No, don't apologize! Thank you for answering it. I'll call him now-" Yumi grabbed onto her before she could start feeling particularly woozy.

Laughing, the taller girl bumped her hip against Niko's side lightly. "Easy there, killer. Let's go sit down and I'll get your phone so you can call him, alright?" After she nodded, Niko was led over to the benches and sat down there before Yumi retrieved her phone and handed it to her. Kasumi was led out of the gymnasium by Tsubasa, and slowly, the rest of the team began doing more diving receive drills.

* * *

To say that he was worried sick would be an understatement. Ever since talking to her teammates on the phone, Asahi had been unable to stand still. The entire time he was on the phone with Hajime - and apparently the rest of his team - he was pacing back and forth. He'd come back inside, and Ukai had told him to sit down and wait for the pain to dissipate before coming back into practice.

Yet, as he sat on the floor with his back pressed against the wall, Asahi couldn't stop moving. His feet twitched, hands clenching and unclenching, moving from being clasped in front of him to rubbing the back of his neck. He was sure he looked like an absolute mess - and judging from the looks he kept receiving from Suga, that wasn't far from the truth.

Even watching his teammates continue practice did little to ease his mind. He was on edge. Waiting, willing for Niko to call him back. To hear her voice. To know that she was okay. He needed to hear from her that she was okay.

So anxious he was to hear from her, Asahi nearly jumped out of his skin when his phone began ringing. He scrambled up, fumbling to swipe across the screen to answer the call as she haphazardly darted out of the door he'd positioned himself near. "Hello?!"

There was only a moment of silence before her voice washed over him and calmed his nerves. " _Asahi."_ His shoulders sagged and he cradled the phone against his ear, walking further from the gymnasium doorway as if he couldn't already hear her clearly. " _I'm- I'm o-"_ She took a shaky breath, and Asahi felt dread settle in the pit of his stomach. " _I can't lie to you- I'm really not okay right now."_

His lips parted, and Asahi sucked in a harsh breath. " _Physically, I guess- I mean."_ Another deep, uneven breath from her. His heart felt like it was being squeezed by some invisible hand. Oh no. What happened? " _My wrist is broken."_

He couldn't help it. The weight of her words, the reality of what that meant for her - it hit him square in the chest. "Oh, no. Oh, god, Niko- Oh, no." No matter how hard he willed himself to shut up, Asahi found that his lips were slippery and just wouldn't close. "I'm so- What-" Calm down! He yelled it over and over again in his mind. She was probably already distressed - he didn't need to bring that back up.

On the other end of the line, he heard her breath catch, a sound struggling to escape her throat but she refused to let it win. He needed to say something else. Slowly, he inhaled. One deep breath, then he started again. "How long will it take to heal? You'll go to therapy for it, right? So you have- so there aren't any lasting effects?" There, that was much better. No Negative Goatee this time, he mentally bragged to an imaginary Suga.

" _The- About four weeks, if all goes well. It was a clean break. They put my arm in um,"_ Niko paused, as if trying to remember what they'd called it, " _A half cast? Or something like that. I can't, um, remember. They put me on some painkillers and they're making me foggy."_ That made sense. Relief was washing over him in slow waves. It was a clean break - it would heal soon. Yet, that made him cringe.

Spring High. The preliminaries - they'd passed by already, and both teams had managed to make it in. Well - her team hadn't had to play in those matches, since they'd made it so far in Interhigh. The playoffs, though… Asahi swallowed. Today was the first of September. The first day of Spring High playoffs was the twenty-fifth of October. Almost two months, but would that be enough time for Niko's wrist to be back to normal? Would she be able to participate?

" _They're sending me home early."_ Niko spoke softly, bringing Asahi's thoughts back to right now. That made sense.

"Do you need me to come-"

" _Yes. Please. I'll let you know when my train is supposed to arrive - um, someone from my team is going to be with me just so I get there safely. I'm going to call Tōru and Hajime to let them know what happened."_

"I called them earlier - when I felt it. I didn't know what happened, but I told them what your teammates told me. They're probably worrying about you, too, right now." Immediately after he said that, a small sigh left Niko's mouth. He wasn't sure if it was relief or exasperation.

" _Oh, okay. Thank you - honestly, that means a lot that you let them know. I'll call them after we hang up. I already talked to my parents, so they're up to speed on the situation. The coaches are talking to some of the girls, but I think I'll be leaving within the next hour or so. So I should be there in like… four hours?"_

Asahi caught himself nodding before he managed to open his mouth and verbally reply. "Okay. And you're welcome - I knew you'd want them to be informed about it as soon as possible. I'll see you in like four hours, then." His shoulders sagged a bit, lips curling down in a small frown again.

" _Okay. I- Thank you. I'll see you soon, Asahi."_ For a moment, he wondered what she'd been about to say there in the beginning, but quickly brushed that thought away. She'd just told him that her painkillers were making her feel incredibly fuzzy. Bidding her goodbye, he ended the call and pushed his phone into his pocket.

When he turned and strode back into the gymnasium, Asahi was met with the eagle-eyed stares of all of his teammates. Apparently, Coach Ukai had called a break while he was outside. "So? Was that Niko? How is she? What happened?" Nishinoya strode right up to him, staring into his eyes with such intensity that Asahi faltered momentarily.

Everyone was silent as they watched him expectantly, waiting for him to fill them in. "Yeah, that was Niko. She's…" He trailed off. Then, Asahi took a deep breath and frowned. They cared about her, they deserved to know the full truth. "Not really okay. There was an incident, she didn't tell me what. Her wrist is broken." It was like he could feel everyone tensing up, ready to shout and reject even that notion. "It was a clean break, so they're hoping it will heal within a month. She's coming home early - in about four hours or so. Can I," Asahi shifted, looking at Ukai, "um, leave in about two hours to go meet her at the station? I want to make sure I get there early just in case she gets back sooner than she thought she would…"

Ukai's reply was instant. He nodded, arms crossed over his chest with a grim look on his face. "Yeah, definitely. Are you sure you're good to continue practice now, though?" He glanced at Asahi's wrist pointedly, not bothering to beat around any bushes.

"Yeah- it's not hurting as much now. It felt like someone was standing on my wrist earlier, but now it's kind of just a dull throb occasionally. Probably because Niko's on pain killers, so it's not affecting her as much either." Asahi rubbed his wrist lightly, but stood up straight and looked Ukai in the eyes. "I'll be fine to continue."

For a few moments, Ukai simply stared at Asahi, watching him carefully. Then, he nodded. "Alright, then stretch and get ready to jump in. We'll be doing serve drills for a while." With that, he turned and walked back to his usual spot. "Five more minutes, then we're getting started again, everyone." The team chorused off 'OSU!', before they began closing in on Asahi and circling around him, questioning him about what Niko had told him.

* * *

It'd been nearly four and a half hours since Niko had finally called him and brought both he and Hajime up to speed. His first instinct had been to ask her why it took so long, but the second he heard the absolute exhaustion in her voice, Tōru decided against it. He'd called for a timeout the second he heard his phone ringing - which he'd pulled out of his bag and put on full volume by the coaches with their permission. Hajime had done the same.

Unlike the ace, though, he didn't immediately put the phone on speaker. Instead, he pulled Hajime out of the gymnasium and then did so. Listening to her explain that her wrist had been broken sent a flurry of emotions rushing through him. Fear, frustration, desperation, and eventually it settled on rage. That was the state he'd been in since she hung up.

Rage. Deep-seated, vines of fiery anger filled his whole body. When they'd returned to practice, he was so beyond wound up that he ended up serving missiles instead of volleyballs, and kept screwing up tosses. Eventually, the coach had told him to sit out for a while - again - to calm down. Hajime had been given the same treatment - despite appearing much more collected than he was.

Fury. What in the hell had happened? All she'd told them was that 'something happened during practice'. That didn't tell them anything. What had happened? Did she trip and fall? Did someone run into her? Did someone do it on purpose? Something deep inside of him told him that it was the last option. She'd have said something, anything at all if it had been accidental. She hadn't, though. Instead, she simply said 'something happened'.

Hajime agreed with that sentiment. By the time they ended up heading to the train station about an hour ago, the ace was irritated and taking it out on everything around him. Slamming doors, shoving his things into his bag roughly, and practically stomping towards the station. Tōru had had to bite back the urge to laugh. Now wasn't the time to be pushing Hajime's buttons - he might end up dead if he did.

By the time he and Hajime had made it to the station, Goatee Ace was already there, seated on one of the benches and waiting for Niko's train to arrive. Tōru had wasted no time in sauntering over and asking him exactly what he knew about what happened. Disappointingly enough for him, and his best friend, Niko had told them pretty much the same exact information. So instead, they were forced to wait until she got there to learn anything else.

A voice over the speaker system finally announced the arrival of Niko's train, and Tōru could have sworn he'd never seen Hajime - or Asahi - move as quickly as they did. Both leapt up from their seats and darted forward, hovering just in front of the yellow line. Tōru got up more slowly, knowing he had a bit of time before the train actually stopped and the passengers were released.

Hands on his hips, he sidled up next to his friend, eyes roaming each set of doors. When they opened, people poured out of the train, and all three of the volleyball players strained to keep an eye out for their little libero. Tōru spotted her first.

"Niko!" He called out, raising a hand as he stepped forward. Hajime and Asahi turned immediately, and upon spotting her began walking with him. She was positively dwarfed by the amazon that she was with, but Niko's long, blonde hair, and white jacket were unmistakable. When she heard his voice, the libero turned and he watched as she tried to focus and find the source. He waved again. "Niko, you little demon."

At that, the girl behind her quirked an eyebrow, grinning a bit as she located Tōru first. Niko's eyes landed on him a moment later, and he could see the exact moment that she saw Hajime and Asahi, as well. Her eyes widened, and she loosened her grip around the other girl. If he wasn't already expecting it, Tōru might have been a little hurt at the fact that she dashed right for Asahi first.

Well. Dashed wasn't quite the right word. She darted away from the other girl, only to stumble and sway before Asahi's hands slipped around her waist and steadied her. "You idiot." He grumbled as he came up alongside the two lovebirds. "You could've waited for him to come to you."

"Exactly, what the hell were you thinking? You could've fallen, you little dumbass." Hajime came up next to him, brows furrowed as he half-glared at their friend.

A short laugh drew his attention upwards - and upwards, and upwards. The girl Niko had been with shook her head and grinned. "Gotta say I agree with these two, Kobayashi. If you fell on your arm, you'd be in an even worse situation than you are already." Then, her gaze lifted to meet Hajime's, then Tōru's. "Matsumoto Kasumi. I assume you're the best friends?" She held her hand out, and after exchanging a glance, he shook it and Hajime followed right after.

"Your deductive skills are on point, Matsumoto-chan. Indeed we are." Tōru put on a brilliant grin, although his insides were still boiling. Finally, he'd be able to get to the bottom of what happened. "Do you want to come back to Niko's house with us? We want to hear what happened." Kasumi hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Sure. She's a bit loopy, so I'm happy to fill you all in."

* * *

A/N: I am back to the land of the living! I've been without internet for over a week now due to issues at home. But I, and my internet, have returned! I appreciate everyone's kind words from my last chapter, and hope you all enjoy this one! 3

CriticalTeacher - Right you are! It was definitely instant for him, and hopefully the last chapter explained a bit more about that too! Thank you for reading! :)

chibi-no-baka - Thank you for your continued support! :) I agree. It's going to be a long road to recovery for her, but Niko without volleyball is just not Niko at all! Couldn't break her that much ;) And don't you worry, our boy Tōru is pleennntttyy mad about it - and will be even more next chapter! :p

eunoiapaint - Awww, I am so glad to hear that! :D Thank you so much! It definitely was supercharged with feels - and will be for at least one more chapter, so hold onto your seatbelt! Hopefully this chapter let you in on the timing a little more of everything, too :) Haha, the boys will definitely have the chance to get to know each other a little more here soon, too! Thank you so much for your continued support! It means so much to me :) and thank you, again 3 I appreciate you saying that.


	20. The Road to Realization

Niko lay, curled up in Asahi's lap, fighting a losing battle with her medicine now that she was comfortable. Her eyes felt like there was lead attached to her lids - they kept drooping, threatening to stay shut and then she'd jerk awake again. Asahi sat cross-legged in the bed, leaning against the wall with one hand splayed across her back to prevent her from falling and the other soothingly rubbing her hair.

"Go to sleep, you need to rest, Niko." He murmured in her ear, for the fifth time now. Previously, Niko verbally disagreed but now all she could manage was a low groaning sound as her eyes slid shut again. Finally, she sagged against him a little more, injured arm resting on pillows next to them and before long her breathing shallowed out.

"Finally. She's been forcing herself to stay awake since we boarded the train." Matsumoto Kasumi sighed, flopping back into the chair she'd commandeered the moment they stepped into Niko's bedroom.

A few feet away, Oikawa laughed obnoxiously loudly. "The goblin queen is stubborn, if nothing else." He'd barely gotten that out when Iwaizumi swung his foot down from his perch on the bed and kicked the setter square in the chest.

"Shut up, trashykawa, she only just fell asleep." He hissed, eyes narrowed in a near-demonic glare directed at the now-whining Oikawa. After a brief, much lower-volume, argument between the two they finally calmed down and looked at Matsumoto. The girl had both brows lifted, staring in bemusement at the two.

A beat later, the smile was slipping from her lips and dipping into a frown. She drew in a deep breath, licking her lips. "I guess now it's time to lay it all out." Matsumoto didn't need to even look at the other three to know they were tensing up, ready to hear it all. "I… I want to apologize first, though. I had an inkling that Nao had been still giving Niko shit… but I assumed that Niko was handling it."

She sighed, eyes falling to her hands as they rested in her lap. "I should've realized that wasn't the case - and I should've gone to the coach when it first started, instead of brushing it off because Niko didn't seem affected by it. It never would- It wouldn't have gone this far if I had done that. I'm sorry I failed her, and in turn you all." Matsumoto pressed her lips together in a fine line, hands clenching into fists.

"Niko's a moron." Iwaizumi let out a grunt, glaring at the sleeping libero. "She would've kept quiet about the bullying to you all, because she didn't want to burden you all - didn't want to pull the team apart," He held up a hand as Matsumoto opened her mouth to interject, "which I know is stupid. Something tells me she knows that, too, deep down. So it's not your fault, or anyone else's outside of Nao's."

Matsumoto bit out a harsh laugh, nodding slowly. It wasn't like… She couldn't really deny what he said. Yes, Niko was an idiot who thought she was going to hurt the team… but that didn't make the wing spiker feel any better about it. There were many times when she considered going and talking to the coaches about Nao's behavior, but never did. She always pushed that thought away, telling herself that if Niko was really bothered by it then she would discuss it with them.

Even knowing that Nao was bringing down the rest of the team…. She never spoke up. Everyone could tell that the girl had been targeting Niko at practice every day. No one enjoyed being on Nao's team - they hated seeing her push the libero around, and despised the way she played so roughly against the girl, too. Yet none of them ever spoke up about it - each of them too concerned with bettering themselves, too worried about overstepping some dumb line.

If only one of them had stepped forward… Niko wouldn't be in this position now. "You'll stop blaming yourself eventually but right now there's nothing else to be done about it. Niko will forgive- actually, no, she'll insist that there's nothing for her to forgive you for. She'll probably ask you to forgive her." Iwaizumi spoke up again, and when Matsumoto looked up, his gaze was boring into hers.

In the face of that, all she could do was nod slowly. "I… Yeah. I'm sorry nonetheless. But… let's just get straight to the point." Lifting a hand, she rubbed it across her face. "We were practicing today, like we always do. Playing five on five. Nao and Niko were on the same team. Everything- Everything was fine." A lie, she realized.

"Or it seemed like it was. We were all giving it our all, like always. Nao had pushed Niko around a couple times, made her fumble, miss balls. None of us liked seeing it, but Niko kept brushing it off. She'd just get up and go after the next one. She wasn't thinking anything of it - and we all grew complacent and did the same. I should've known." Matsumoto bit her lip.

Again, she rubbed a hand across her face, shaking her head. "I should've realized that Nao was just a ticking time bomb. This morning, Niko confronted her and it turned physical - Nao threw Niko against the lockers. Or would've, if Yumi- ah one of our teammates - hadn't been able to catch her."

Matsumoto missed the way Asahi, Iwaizumi, and Oikawa all tensed up. "I threatened to tell the coaches then and there - but Niko told me she'd talk to them after practice and I…. I let it go." Her eyes were burning, and she screwed them shut. Waves of guilt came crashing over her. If only, if only - "If only I'd just done what I said I would and gone to the coaches immediately. But I didn't, and we played and Nao just kept getting rougher and meaner and angrier - we could all tell, but we didn't-"

Halting, she sucked in a breath and rubbed her palms against her eyes harshly. "Niko dived forward to- to receive- to receive a ball I'd feinted and she got the damn receive and then Nao- fucking Nao." Her breath stuttered out, and the tall girl seemed to shrink in on herself. "I couldn't move - just watch from the other side, it all happened so fast. Nao just looked so damn angry. She had this fucking glare and she was watching Niko so intensely. She stepped forward as Niko slid up towards the net, and followed her hand with her foot-"

Tears slipped from her eyes and she buried her face in her hands as she choked out the rest. "And just as Niko stopped, she just fucking stomped on her wrist. I didn't realize how bad it was at first - I was just seeing red. And then the medic came out, and he said it was broken and they were taking her to the infirmary and- I should've realized that Nao was going to do that. I shouldn't have feinted, it was my fault Niko was up by Nao. If I hadn't, then-"

For all the toughness she showed to the rest of the world, Matsumoto took things to heart when it came to her friends. Niko was such a ball of sunshine, so happy, a bright unyielding force of positivity and she'd been… complacent. She never stepped forward, never put herself between Nao and Niko, never did enough to try to stop it all. She failed her friend, and that feeling was the worst in the world.

A hand on her knee pulled Matsumoto's mind from the dark, crashing waves in her mind. "You were playing like you always do." Surprisingly, it was Oikawa who was knelt in front of her. His brown, piercing eyes incredibly serious. "It's not like you were expecting that to happen." Something in the way he seemed to grind the words out… she couldn't tell if he was angry with her, or-

"Nao's the one to blame here, for all of it. She's what caused this - all of it." His hand slid away from her knee, and Oikawa stood up, hands clenched into fists at his sides. His entire body was vibrating with his effort to keep his emotions in check.

There was a long pause, silence enveloping the room. No one knew what else they could say. There wasn't much else to be said. Each of them was steeping in their own regrets, anger, and disappointment. Even Asahi, as he held onto Niko's small form was tensing and relaxing repeatedly, as if trying to calm himself from the torrent of emotions within him.

Matsumoto sat in her chair, fists clenched at her knees. Beside her, Oikawa cursed and then suddenly turned and stormed from the room. Iwaizumi shook his head as she glanced in his direction. A moment later, he stood up and left her alone with Asahi and the sleeping libero. Her gaze found the two of them again, lips curling down in a deeper frown.

"I'm sorry." The words came out suddenly, softly. Matsumoto knew she didn't need to apologize… but it would have felt wrong if she hadn't. "I... " She trailed off, tongue darting across her lips in apprehension. "I will make it up to her. I don't… I know I don't need to, but-" Again, she paused. This time, to take a deep breath and steel herself. "We all owe it to her. She's important to the team. However we can help, we all will."

Asahi opened his mouth, but Matsumoto shook her head. "It's okay. I know. I'm… I'm gonna head out. If you guys need anything, she has my number." She stood up, inhaling deeply. "Hopefully next time we see each other, it's under better circumstances." Rubbing her hand across the back of her neck, the wing spiker dipped her head and then backed out of the room as Asahi was agreeing.

Downstairs, she found Niko's parents in the hallway, waiting. "The boys filled us in. Thank you for taking care of our daughter." Even though she wanted to protest, Matsumoto didn't get the chance to before the two were hugging her. "Iwaizumi and Oikawa are outside, they'll walk you back to the train station. We'll update your coach regularly - and I'm sure Niko will be in contact with you all soon too."

Just as her parents said, Oikawa and Iwaizumi were outside waiting for her when Matsumoto made her way out of the house. For a moment, she contemplated saying something… then decided against it. Instead, she straightened her back and gave them both a short nod and the trio started off in the direction of the train station. They were silent for the majority of the trip.

Disappointment, rage, grief, determination, hope… it all swirled inside of her, with nowhere to go. That night, she didn't go home. Instead, she took an extra hour trip to go to the home of the one person who could work through it with her. The one who'd been her entire support system for so long.

Less than a week later, the coaches sent an email update to the entire team. Tanaka Nao had been dismissed from the team - permanently. A new wing spiker from a Miyagi prefecture school replaced her, Setsuna Ichika. Another libero had been recruited as well, from Kamomedai - a girl named Minato Yua.

The first practice without Niko was… unsettling. Mistakes piled up, nerves were on edge the entire time. Barely an hour in, the coaches cut five on five practice short and had everyone go back to drills. It was frustrating. No one could calm down. It felt like… Betrayal. Pure and simple.

* * *

Four weeks. It was hell. Four weeks in a cast, unable to practice at all. She wasn't even allowed to practice light one-handed receives. The first week wasn't so bad - it was buffered by a lot of pain killers and attention from Asahi, her best friends, and everyone's teams visiting and lifting her spirits. The second week had them regretfully backing off - as much as they wanted to dote on the libero, no one could feasibly do so. Niko understood, and encouraged them to get back to their practice.

The third week was the roughest. She went back to practice with her high school team for the first time. Even though she was only allowed to do stretches and light runs with them it was enough… for the first day. Sitting on the sidelines just watching them play… that had been awful.

That feeling had only been exasperated when the weekend came around… which meant it was time to go to the JWC-Y practice. Everyone had showered her in affection and encouragement, and she couldn't deny that it was flattering and made her choke up a little. Unfortunately, that feeling was short lived. After going for a run with the team and stretching with them… she was once again relegated to the bench. Sitting alongside the coaches, watching them play.

At first, she'd thought she could do it. Watching from the sidelines wouldn't be so bad, because then she could see them in action and that would help her help them….. Except it wasn't like that. The ice cold hand that gripped her hand from the first toss until halfway through the game when the anger, grief, and sadness welled up again - it was too much. She'd had to excuse herself to the bathroom, where she let herself cry for two minutes.

Later, her replacement- Niko had to shake that thought away. Minato Yua approached her when practice ended. To her surprise, the girl had bowed to her - deeply. "I will not apologize to you - for what happened to you or for taking your spot on this team." She'd straightened up, pinning the surprised Niko with an even stare. "You'll be back on the court before long, and you're going to swipe it right back from me. I was invited here temporarily, but that doesn't mean I won't strive to prove my worth so they'll keep me on at least as your backup."

Niko couldn't help but laugh, then. It was the first time that she'd felt somewhat normal after the incident. The competitiveness, yet complete support from her fellow libero was refreshing. For a few days after, she rode that high. Things were… decent.

Then it came time to take her cast off. Four long weeks. Appointments with her doctor, her physical therapist, a psychiatrist, her coaches from both teams… on one hand, it was overwhelming. On the other, it made the process somewhat easier. Everyone was incredibly supportive, and always laid everything out for her without sugar-coating it.

Asahi accompanied her to the doctor. Oikawa and Iwaizumi had offered as well, but she'd insisted that she'd be fine and that she wanted them to focus on their practice. It'd taken a lot of convincing, but she did eventually manage to get them both to stay back.

The entire appointment flew by in a blur, up until the cast was freed from her arm. Asahi had been holding her hand the entire time, murmuring encouragement into her ear every now and then. She could tell he was nervous, but he kept holding it together for her. Never once did he falter, even as Dr. Ichibata was explaining risks.

When the cast was freed from her arm, it was like a dam breaking. All of the frustration, sadness, anger, disappointment…. Hope, eagerness, delight - it all came rushing forward at once. She cried again, with Asahi holding her securely against him and her doctor waiting patiently for her to get it all out.

As she sniffled and wiped away the last of her tears, Dr. Ichibata gave her a slight smile. "Don't apologize, it's totally normal." Fortunately, the man was very good at his job. He understood the reason for her tears, and never once told her to get over it. He just let her cry it out. It was a relief, even if mildly embarrassing to cry in front of her doctor. "Now, let's talk about physical therapy."

Straightening up a little, Niko nodded and squeezed Asahi's hand softly. "For the next four weeks, you are going to meet three times a week with Dr. Shinto Benimon. She is an old colleague who runs her own physical therapy center about half an hour away from where you live. You'll abide by everything that she tells you, okay? And then one the weekends, once a week, you'll come here and meet with me so I can see how things are going."

"Okay." Niko murmured softly, pulling her lower lip through her teeth lightly. She was in the home stretch. She'd be able to play again soon. Without the cast, she could do light receives and tosses-

"For the first week at the very least, no volleyball. At all. No tosses, receives, spikes - nothing that will put any kind of strain on your wrist." Unfortunately, the man was very good at his job. He understood that working with athletes like her meant he needed to set clear boundaries and guidelines… Honestly, Niko couldn't fault him for it. The twinkle in his eye gave away the fact that he probably knew exactly what she was thinking. "After that, we'll discuss how things are and if you can handle some light activities. Deal?"

Wetting her lips, Niko pursed them and nodded slowly. "Deal. No volleyball for a week." He lifted a brow at her and she glanced away. "...At minimum. When is my first appointment with Dr. Shinto?"

"At five today. Which is in…" He glanced at his watch, then looked back up at her with a smile. "About six hours. Plenty of time for you to get home and relax for a bit before heading over. I wanted you to get started on physical therapy as soon as possible. I could send you home with a regime, but I thought it would be best for her to go over it all instead since she's going to be your main resource for PT. Is that alright with you?"

Honestly, he should've known that asking made no difference - although Niko was exhausted already she was determined to get back to volleyball as soon as possible… which meant doing anything and everything she needed to. Nodding quickly, she confirmed what she was sure he already suspected. "I'm fine with that."

"Perfect." Standing up, Dr. Ichibata walked over to the counter and picked up a file folder he'd set there at the beginning of the appointment. Bringing it over to Niko and Asahi, he held it out for them. "This is all of the information we went over today, including Dr. Shinto's business address and telephone number. No need to bring anything with you - I've taken the liberty of transferring your medical files over already so you didn't have to go through any hassle. You can be on your way. Thank you for always being a stellar patient."

As Niko took the files, he held out his hand for her to shake - which she took in her newly-freed hand gingerly. "Thank you for everything, Dr. Ichibata. I'll be sure to do everything Dr. Shinto tells me. And I'll see you next weekend."

By the time Niko and Asahi got out of the medical building and were walking back to the station, the blonde had marveled over her cast-free wrist several times over. Several times, she'd start bending and twisting it - only for Asahi to gently chide her and remind her not to do anything until she met with the new doctor. She'd blush and laugh, saying that she just couldn't get over the feeling of being able to move it around again. Each time, he'd chuckle and pulled her hand up to press a soft kiss to the inside of her wrist. It was a pretty good distraction, she admitted to herself.

The train ride back home lulled her to sleep within an hour, and she spent the next three cuddled against Asahi's side as he wrapped an arm protectively around her. When he gently nudged her awake as they approached their station, she blearily yawned and stretched. "Mm, thank you for letting me nap." Niko's lips curled up in a grin and she leaned up to peck Asahi on the lips. It still delighted her that he blushed whenever she kissed him. Granted, it'd lessened quite a bit since the first time she'd done it… but there was always a little hint of red of his cheeks when she pulled back.

"You were tired." He shrugged one shoulder, smiling as they stood up. That was another thing she reveled in - he'd become more confident in himself, and in them as a couple, and she adored it. He rarely ever stuttered over himself around her anymore… but even when he did, she thought it was adorable.

Asahi's never ending support, his steadiness during her turbulence, the small acts of kindness and things to show he cared… Random visits with chocolates, or movies, or the one time he brought a load of volleyball matches that had been recorded of upcoming opponents that they spent four hours watching… His eyes lit up every time he saw her, and he never grew tired of hearing her babble and never pushed her to talk when she wasn't feeling it. All of it, and so, so much more. It made the weights in her chest lighten and butterflies form in her stomach. It was always so natural, talking to him, being with him. Like breathing.

It was then, on the walk home, that Niko realized for the first time that she was - without a single doubt in her mind - in love with him. And that realization made her heart soar. She stopped him, outside of the gates of her home. Tugged on his hand and pulled him around to face her. For a moment, all she did was watch him - drinking in all of him. Then, Niko smiled and reached up for him. He met her halfway and they kissed. This time, when she pulled back she stayed close.

With her arms around his neck and her mother opening the front door of their home, Niko let the world slip away and told him matter-of-factly -

"I love you."

* * *

A/N: Yes hi hello. It is me. Back from the land of... well, to be blunt - terrible mental health, writing blocks, new job, and a whole lot of other crap. Sorry to have abandoned you all for so long - I hope you can forgive me! I am back... but I can't promise any regular schedule right now. I'll try to get more chapters to you as I can though. Thank you all for your never-ending support 3 I love you!


	21. A Glimpse of the Other Side

Her arm was sore - more specifically her wrist. Frustration welled up inside of her, making her lips tremble in the effort it took not to snap or cry. She wasn't sure which urge was more prominent, honestly. It'd been a week and a half since she started physical therapy. The exercises for her wrist were so simple - basic stretches, nothing taxing… and yet, they hurt. Especially the first few days.

After a week passed, Niko's new doctor upped the regime a bit. More stretches and wrist exercises were added. When Dr. Shinto was demonstrating each of the exercises, they looked so simple. And they were… but her wrist ebbed with a dull ache the more that she did them. Logically speaking, she knew that was to be expected. Unluckily… logic wasn't a strong suit right at this moment for her. All she wanted to do was get back to practice.

Heaving a sigh, the blonde stretched her arm out in front of her and began bending her sore wrist back towards her slowly. "Good, good. You're probably sore, but this is much better than last week." Dr. Shinto hummed, sliding into the seat across from the libero quickly as she watched her closely. "Much more flexibility. I think… hmm…"

The black-haired woman trailed off for a moment, pursing her lips as she pondered something. After a long bout of silence, she finally nodded to herself with a small smile. "Let's see how you do at our next session on Friday, but after that… we might just be able to let you practice very light receives. And only that." With a pointed look at the girl when Niko visibly brightened, Dr. Shinto laughed. "You're doing great. Keep this up."

Heart fluttering in her chest at the prospect of actually being able to practice again spurred her forward. The discomfort and pain was a small price to pay for being able to use her wrist freely again. Now, she was close enough to practically taste it.

* * *

Rubbing a towel across his head, he panted heavily as practice finally drew to a close. The coach had positively tortured them this time around - back to back drills and then five on five practice matches, and then more drills. It was relentless.

Despite this, Kai wore a smile even as he struggled to calm his breathing. Spring High would be starting soon. They were going to kill it, and plow their way through all the way to the Nationals. Karasuno was going to make it, too. There was no doubt in his mind about it.

"Hey, Nobuyuki-sempai." Inuoka sidled up next to him, eyes wide with curiosity. Kai pulled the towel back from his eyes and glanced at the first year with mild intrigue, letting out a low 'hmmm?'. "Did you hear about those rumors that some girl got yanked off of the volleyball team like a month ago?"

"Yeah…. Why?" Frowning at the odd line of questioning, Kai slid the towel down to his shoulders. The rumors had been circulating for a while - a little over a month, actually. Apparently, some third year on the girls' volleyball team didn't just get suspended from the team - she was removed entirely and banned from rejoining. Some rumors said she'd slept with the coach, others said she beat up a girl on her team, and even more whispered that she flew into a rage and wrecked the locker room one day.

He wasn't usually one to listen to gossip, but everyone was talking about it - from third years down to first years. Every sports club, every class… it was huge. Which to be fair, wasn't surprising. It wasn't often someone got banned from participating in a club ever again.

"Apparently it's someone my friend Touka-chan knows. She said that the girl just snapped suddenly and like broke someone's arm." The wing spiker's eyes were huge. "Do you know her? You're friends with some of the girls' volleyball team, right?" By now, more of the team was trickling over, curiosity pulling them all in.

With a slight frown, Kai gave a single shake of his head. "No. I only know one of them. We don't talk much." Beyond that, he really didn't care much to find out about this girl. Whoever she was, he was somewhat glad he didn't know her. Whatever she'd done had to have been pretty severe, given the consequences.

"Ohoho, we're gossiping now?" With a roll of his eyes, Kai let his eyes slide to Kuroo as the captain slung an arm around Inuoka's shoulders. "Don't stop on my account." Judging by the mildly terrified, mildly confused look on the poor first year's face, it was clear that he wasn't entirely sure if Kuroo was joking.

Luckily, he didn't have to ponder for long. "Leave it alone. Whatever happened is none of our business. None of us know her." Yaku's voice scared them all straight - or at least Inuoka, anyway. The brunette straightened up and twisted around to face the libero faster than Kuroo could even pull his arm away. "Now finish cleaning up so we can leave."

His glare left no room for any commentary. "Fine, fine. Party pooper." Kuroo smirked, sidling away from the little group and towards the stationary setter, where he sat on the floor playing whatever his game of the week was. "Oi, Kenma, get up and help us clean."

With the air lightened again and everyone distracted, the team dispersed and continued with the progress they'd already made on cleaning up the gym. Despite that, for whatever reason Kai found himself mildly preoccupied with the subject Inuoka had brought up. He'd not thought much of it previously, but the last time he'd talked to his friend on the girls' team, she'd been pretty upset about something.

They weren't all that close, so Kai hadn't pressed her on the subject - but he remembered her rushing out of the room after one of their classmates made a comment about the girl who'd been kicked off of the team. He couldn't even remember what the comment was, much less the name of the girl. After a few minutes, he shrugged a bit and pushed the thought from his mind. No need to dwell on it.

* * *

Fate had a funny way of bringing things together. He realized this on his way home after practice. Kai had long since separated from the rest of his team and was nearly home when a familiar voice pulled his attention towards a bench resting along the edge of an asphalt basketball court.

Jirou Rika sat on the bench, knees pulled up to her chest. Her eyes met his and she repeated his name. "Hmm?" Kai pulled an ear bud from his ear and muted his music. "What's up, Jirou-chan?" She was a third year, and had gone to the same middle school as him. They both played volleyball and had become loose friends based around that. She was the very same girl that had been brought up in conversation earlier that day.

"This is gonna sound really dumb, but can you… just keep me company for a while?" Her dark eyes slid from his and she bit her lower lip. "You're always so level headed. I am a mess and just… need to be around that." She swallowed, still chewing on her lower lip as she refused to meet his gaze - probably expecting him to refuse.

Honestly, some part of him nearly did - he was exhausted and just wanted to go home and sleep. Then he shrugged and pulled the other earbud out and took a seat next to Jirou. It wouldn't hurt him to help her out for a bit.

For a long time, the two sat in silence. Jirou kept her legs pulled up, her chin resting on her knees as she stared out at the asphalt court. The cool air was soothing at first, but slowly made Kai a little chilly. Just as he was about to say he needed to leave, she started talking.

"I did a bad thing." Licking her lips, Jirou pulled a slow, deep breath. Kai's eyes slid to her, watching carefully but not pressing. "And someone got hurt because of me. Two people did, really." Her lower lip trembled, and she pulled it between her teeth quickly.

After a beat of silence, Kai spoke calmly. "How so?" A simple question - she could answer however in depth that she wanted to. Clearly, she needed to talk to someone about this, if it got her so shaken up.

"My best friend…" Jirou sucked in a deep breath and swiped her hand across her eyes as wetness gathered at the corners. "I'm not trying to brag, yeah? But I'm a great libero. Everyone tells me that. I'm not like. Super high ranked nationally or anything, but I do pretty well, yeah?" Slowly, Kai nodded. He wasn't sure where she was going with this. "Especially this year. I've been doing really well. Our team has done great."

Another slow nod. "And some representatives from Tokyo University came and watched like two of our games. They were there for the youth championships. Scouting. Y'know?" Briefly, Kai recalled being told something about one of the girls' team members being scouted for the youth championships possibly. He didn't pay much attention - too busy focusing on his own team. "Everyone thought they were there for me. Which like, in retrospect? Was dumb."

This time, Kai remained silent and didn't move. "But everyone said they were and I let myself get hyped and then… I didn't get an invitation. I pushed myself really hard to get that invitation, but I didn't get one. But my friend… she got invited. And I was happy for her." Jirou sucked in a deep breath, her lip trembling again. "But I was also upset I didn't get an invitation and I told her some stupid stuff because I was feeling really shitty, y'know?"

Of course. Everyone vented to their friends. "I told her I felt useless - like everything I'd worked for just went down the drain because they didn't recognize me. That all my practicing, all the work and effort and time… it was all for nothing. And I said some… mean things… about the girl who got invited when the announcements came out." At that, her voice broke a little and she squeezed her eyes shut. "I also said since I was clearly nothing compared to her, that I should just quit volleyball. It was stupid, and my emotions just getting out of control, but I said it to Nao one day and she just got so mad." Jirou sucked in a shaky breath.

"She yelled at me, telling me that I was worth more than some dumb invitation and we got into an argument because I was an ass. I told her that her opinion didn't count because she got an invitation. Which was stupid because obviously she did. She's a great wing spiker." Kai was realizing slowly that Jirou was just venting to him now. He was a silent sounding board, and she was opening up completely.

"And for a while, she and I didn't talk. But things got better between us - I apologized. Until two months ago. I got bad news from one of the universities I'd applied for. They didn't want to give me a volleyball scholarship and I just… I said some really hurtful things. To her, myself, and the girl who got the invitation to the youth team."

Jirou was crying now, and Kai wasn't really sure what to do other than press his hand to her back in soft support. "Nao left really angry, and had to go to practice for the youth team…. We didn't talk for two weeks, and then I heard from another girl on our team at school that Nao got kicked off of the youth team. She'd been benched on our team, too, and then less than a week later we were told by our coaches that she was being removed from the team permanently. That she'd never be allowed to play on an official team again."

Her voice cracked and she buried her face against her knees. "She broke the girl's wrist. On purpose, apparently. Nao broke a girl's wrist all because of stupid things I said and I can't stop thinking about how it's my fault. It's my fault that not only is Nao's career over - but more important, the other libero's could be too. Someone got hurt because of me and I don't know what to do."

That was when Jirou truly broke down. Kai continued to gently rub his thumb against her shoulder, unsure of how else he could comfort her. Motivating his teammates was fairly easy… dealing with an upset girl? Much more complicated. Especially given the circumstances.

After many long moments of silence, Kai finally opened his mouth. "It's not really your fault, though." He frowned, lifting a shoulder when she looked at him through her tears. "Yeah, you said some crappy things, but in the end, it was this Nao girl who took it too far. She acted of her own accord - it's not like you told her to go and break someone's wrist as revenge for you."

"No! Of course I didn't! I never meant for her to do that. I was just venting - about how useless I felt, and how stupid it was to put so much time and effort into a club when I wasn't getting anyhting out of it…. But those were lies! I love volleyball. I was just upset. And that's no excuse but-"

"Nao made her own decisions. You're not responsible for her actions." Something deep in his chest felt unsettled by all of this information. Like a slow, seeping sand in his lungs, the uneasiness slid through him. He had to take slow, deep breaths to counteract the feeling of heavy weights on his chest. "Maybe you should talk to Nao about it - and… honestly, probably one of the school counselors too."

For a while, he didn't know if she was even going to reply. Then, Jirou thanked him and quietly left with a promise that she'd do that. It wasn't until she was long gone that he put two and two together. Jirou's friend had broken someone's wrist, and she was on the youth championship team - or had been. Hinata had texted Kenma in a fit several weeks back - or had it been months? - about how the libero they'd met ages ago during golden week training camp was injured. The Aoba Johsai girl, Karasuno's Ace's soulmate, had had her wrist broken at youth team training.

Jirou's best friend was Nao, and Nao had broken Niko's wrist. And had been permanently removed from official volleyball teams because of it. Pressing his lips together in a thin line, Kai swallowed slowly as he stood up. When he'd heard about Niko's injury he'd been upset along the rest of the team. They weren't incredibly close to the girl, but they were good enough friends to be worried - and knew enough about her to know how devastating the injury was. Knowing the information he did now about her injury… it left him feeling restless. Like he could've done something about it.

Heaving a sigh, Kai stood up and rubbed the back of his neck. No, that was dumb. He didn't know the girl - hell, he barely knew Jirou. When he got home that night, he sent a text to the group chat - something that would sate his own unease for the night. Or so he hoped.

 **NobuKai**

 _22:14_

 _Has anyone heard anything about Kobayashi's recovery?_

He was pretty positive that his sudden message would garner confusion, but honestly he didn't care all that much. In the end, it turned out he was right - everyone was a little confused that he'd brought it up.

 **Cat-ptain**

 _22:18_

 _Who is this and what have you done with my vice captain_

 **ActuallyTheAce**

 _22:19_

 _rly tho_

 _but also i'm curious 2_

 **Puppu**

 _22:20_

 _Wrangler you still talk to her regularly, don't you?_

 _I'd ask Hinata but he's prob asleep_

 **Wrangler**

 _22:22_

 _We text regularly yeah_

 _she's ok. cast came off the other week_

 _has a lot of physical therapy, can't play yet_

 _soon though - she said just the other day that within a week she should be able to start practicing again_

 **ActuallyTheAce**

 _22:25_

 _is she gonna b able to play in spring high?_

 **Pudding**

 _22:26_

 _probs depends on when she gets cleared_

 _I think their spring high starts on the 25th_

 _So if she gets ok'd before then *shrug*_

 **Cat-ptain**

 _22:28_

 _why am i not surprised that yaku texts her regularly_

 _got a crush we need to know about?_

 **Wrangler**

 _22:28_

 _It's like you have a death wish_

 _we're friends, obviously we text?_

 _screw off_

 **Cat-ptain**

 _22:29_

 _A little defensive there aren't we_

 _Sorry to break it to u but she's kinda taken, yaku :/_

 **Wrangler**

 _22:30_

 _Go die_

 _we're just friends_

 _anyway, why were you asking, kai?_

 _Didn't think you talked to her that much_

There for a while, Kai was sure they'd forget he was the one who asked. Wishful thinking. Settling into his bed, he rolled his eyes.

 **NobuKai**

 _22:32_

 _curiosity_

He didn't really need them knowing everything. The stuff he'd been told by Jirou wasn't something he intended on sharing. It was a lot to unpack. So he'd keep it to himself. Powering his phone off before the text barrage could come through as he was sure it would, Kai tossed the device aside and pressed his face into his pillow.

Somehow, hearing about the why behind Niko's injury, and the who, made him more concerned about her healing. That… and part of him wanted to tell Jirou so she could get some sort of peace from the whole situation. Most of him said that was a bad idea, though, and not his business or hers. With a slow sigh, Kai closed his eyes and let himself drift into a mildly restless sleep

* * *

Nearly three weeks after getting her cast off, Niko had finally been given the go-ahead to practice things beyond just light serves and spikes. Most days, her wrist felt fine - her physical therapy exercises didn't hurt anymore, so Dr. Shinto had just given her the all clear to attend practice with the youth team as normal this weekend. It was exhilarating.

The buzzing of her nerves throughout her kept Niko on edge the whole way home. Tomorrow, she'd finally be able to practice with the youth team again. Beyond that, she'd be able to practice with her team at Aoba Johsai. Spring High was less than a week away. Although she'd been able to practice lightly for about a week… it felt like she was so far behind them.

The first year libero, Kisuke Kira, had been subbing in for her during practice matches and had blossomed a lot during that time - which she was proud of, but at the same time… it just proved how long she'd been off the court. Sucking in a quick breath, Niko straightened her back and nodded to herself. She was back now - that's all that mattered.

Shooting a quick text to her high school teammates that she had been cleared to practice regularly now, Niko stepped into her house and tossed her bag to the floor just beyond the door. Just as she closed the door, her ears picked up the low, but unmistakable voice of Asahi…. And Tōru?

With a confused frown taking root on her lips, she slipped her shoes off and headed deeper into her house. Soon, she could pick up the voices of more people - from her team, Tōru's, and Asahi's. Peeking into the living room, she was surprised to find about members of both Aoba Johsai teams and Karasuno's boys' team sprawled around.

"Eyyy! Here's the lady of the hour!" Tora, her captain, leapt up from where she'd been seated between their teammate, Michi, and Suga. As Niko opened her mouth to question the girl, she was picked up from behind and twirled around.

Laughing, Niko craned her head back to see Hitomu hugging her as she spun them both around. "What's going on?" She had to speak between small bouts of laughter, hands gripping Hitomu's arms lightly until her teammate set her down.

Hajime appeared next to her, brow lifted. "We all figured you'd finally be cleared to practice like normal - and we decided to celebrate. Your parents okayed it - as long as, in their words, we don't wreck the place like we did for your sixteenth birthday."

"Personally, I don't remember wrecking anything then." Tōru came out of the kitchen, pushing past Niko and the others with ease. "We were delightful guests." He smirked, flopping unceremoniously onto the couch next to Matsukawa.

After taking a moment to process that they were celebrating for - and with - her, the libero grinned brightly. "I mean… to be fair, you did break my mother's least favorite vase. Which she was grateful for, but still." Straightening up a bit as Hitomu released her, Niko was not subtle at all about looking for Asahi. It took her only moments to spot him, back to her as he helped one of her teammates finish putting up a sign that said 'CONGRATS!'. When he finished, Asahi turned towards her and smiled.

"Hi, there." With three long strides, he came to stop in front of her. "Congrats on being cleared, Niko." Leaning down, the brunette pressed a quick, soft kiss to her lips and straightened back up again. Her heart hammered in her chest.

"Hi. Thank you, Asahi." She grinned, sliding her hand into his. "And thank you all for doing all of this. I adore you all. I hope I don't have to do introductions between anyone by now…"

Hajime rolled his eyes, meandering to the table in the corner where snacks had been stocked. "Somehow we managed to introduce ourselves to one another without your assistance." With a laugh, Niko nodded quickly. A glance around the room told her that it was only the third years from both boys' teams present - and only two second years and the third years from her team.

When she questioned the reasoning for this, Tora shrugged and explained that she had invited everyone on their team, but some people already had plans. The three first years apparently had some big test coming up in one of their classes so were studying. Sakura and Nara had said they'd love to come, but both had family dinners to attend since their parents wanted to celebrate the upcoming Spring High.

Nonetheless, Niko was grateful for the people that were able to come - and understanding of the others. It meant so much to her that they wanted to be there, even if they couldn't come. Both boys' teams explained to her that it seemed much simpler to just invite the third years - knowing that with the second and first years, things were likely to get wild fast.

At some point during the night, Niko ended up on the couch in curled up against Asahi as they played some games on the television with everyone else. There was currently a heavy competition going on between Tōru and Tora, with both alternating between trying to score the most points and trying to sabotage the other. Daichi had declined to participate in said competition - stating it was between the setters, at which Suga had grinned and shook his own head with a shrug and a 'no it's clearly a captains' competition'.

While many of them had stayed among their own teammates at first, they all gradually spread out and began talking and interacting with the other teams just as easily. Tōru declared loudly at one point that although there was a truce tonight, they would not hold back during Spring High. Surprisingly, it was Asahi who had replied. "If you did, it wouldn't be much of a game. We'll still beat you." He'd quipped, grinning at the brunette setter as Niko burst into a fit of giggles.

Luckily, the rest of them had been quick to jump in and remind them both that tonight was 'safe grounds' - no competition talk. Tōru protested loudly at that until Tora distracted him with a bet - whoever could get the most points in the game she was putting in by the end of the night won. The loser had to do whatever the winner wanted them to for three days.

It reminded Niko of when she and Tōru had made a bet on who could win an impromptu 'marathon' of sorts. Hajime had been the judge - as they ran around a predetermined path to see who was fastest, then did an obstacle course (the children's playground), and finally had to climb to the top of a tree. Loser had to practice with the winner's team for a day - which is how she'd ended up practicing with the boys' team at the beginning of the year. She'd been so close to beating him… until Tōru had grabbed her leg as she was climbing and yanked her back down as she was scaling the tree.

Leaning into her soulmate, Niko gradually came to realize that the edge of panic that she'd been feeling for nearly two months now… it was slowly ebbing away. In their presence, she managed to forget about the pressures of her teams for a while. With a content sigh, the girl nuzzled her head under Asahi's chin. The low rumble of his laugh vibrated in his chest and he lifted a hand, pressing it to her head softly.

Things were good. They'd been getting better for a while, but tonight… it made her realize that she was surrounded by all the people she needed to be. Asahi pressed his lips to her temple gently, murmuring the same phrase he'd been repeating every day since she'd originally let it slip first. She smiled, pressing a kiss to his chin as he whispered in her ear.

"I love you."

* * *

A/N: Oh hi there. It's me, again! Two updates in one week(kinda)? Who am I, and what have I done with me? Seriously though, I have been getting back into the swing of writing and this chapter was really fun for me. I got to touch on the other side of the story - and show you all a little behind the 'why' of what Nao did (as well as some of the consequences of her actions). I know some people were really wanting to see how the boys handled Nao, but in all honesty, this felt more appropriate. Future chapters will touch on it a bit more. Thank you all for your continued support - it means the world to me! I look forward to reading your reviews! Next chapter brings us back into the volleyball life a little more!

koemia - Ahhh, I know right? It was a beast to write, with all of the emotions and everything involved haha. Thank you so much! Niko definitely is the more verbal of the two about affection :p again, thank you very much! I am so happy to hear that you enjoy the story (I'm only sobbing[happy tears] a little I promise). I'm going to try to get back into the habit of updating once a week for you all! I love and appreciate all of my readers

WinterEveOrchid - Thank you so much! I'm super glad to hear that you enjoy Niko and Marks of Life! It means a lot for you to say that. Thank you! I'm doing better now, so hopefully will be back on the writing train for a while!


	22. Spring in your Step

Walking onto the court… Niko had to pause, pulling a deep breath in and closing her eyes. All of the emotions that had built up over the past couple months, they rushed to the surface. Blowing the breath out of her mouth slowly, the libero pulled in another breath and opened her eyes. Her teammates were standing there, waiting. Watching calmly as she gathered herself. When she met Matsumoto's nervous, yet excited gaze…

Her face broke out into a grin and Niko couldn't stop the squeal of excitement that left her lips. Around her, the youth team all relaxed at once. No one had been sure how she would react to practice today - so her positivity was a big relief. They'd had a short meeting prior to practice, with the coaches updating everyone alongside Niko with the news that she was able to play again. They hadn't given them much time beyond that to celebrate - instead, they immediately called for everyone to begin stretching.

If she was being honest, that was kind of a relief to her. While the libero understood and appreciated everyone's excitement and desire to celebrate, she just wanted things to start going back to normal. More importantly - she wanted to practice.

"Oi." Niko caught the gaze of Minato from across the net. The slightly taller girl gave her a confident smirk. "We're not gonna go easy on you, you know."

"You'd better not." She laughed, sharing a wink with the other libero. "I wouldn't want it any other way." Minato giggled, hands on her hips.

"Good. Personally, I'm kinda excited to see the great Niko in action, anyway. No pressure." Despite the teasing, Niko knew it was all good natured. Over the past month, both liberos had become friends. It was gradual - both feeling a little uneasy over the circumstances in which Minato had joined the team at first. They got over it after they started really talking to one another.

Similarly, Niko had become friends with Setsuna as well. The wing spiker, Nao's replacement, was incredibly chill and honestly was so laid back that it made it pretty easy to befriend her. Off the court, Setsuna was pretty consistently either napping, beginning to doze off, or trying to find a place to sleep. She gave practice her full effort, but any chance she had to nap… she jumped on it (or would, if she weren't so sleepy….).

With an extra pep in her step from the impending five on five match, the libero made her way to her starting position and waited for the serve. Ironically, the teams were pretty similar to the first five-on-five match they'd had. Setsuna, Suzuki, Kimura, Watanabe, Sato, and Minato wore the purple pinnies while Niko, Maki, Nakahara, Matsumoto, and Oshiro sported the green ones. Watanabe stood on the sidelines, given that there was an extra player on the purple team. She'd be used sporadically to replace other players - just like in any normal game.

The whistle sounded and her whole body shifted in anticipation. Oshiro leapt high into the air and hit the ball beyond the other side of the net easily. It was anything but a light serve. Kimura was directly in the path of the ball, and with a slight step backwards readied herself for the receive. It soared up from her arms, coming a bit short from their setter.

Suzuki wasted no time in moving forward, sliding under the ball and setting it behind her - right into Setsuna's palm. The ball flew towards Nakahara - who promptly shifted out of the way for Maki to receive smoothly. When she set the ball for Matsumoto, Nakahara sent the wing spiker a low grin.

Matsumoto made it clear then, more than ever before, why her nickname was 'Killer K'. The ball was like a rocket - flying past the blockers and bouncing off of the floor on the opposite side of the net with a resounding 'boom'. A breath later, the whistle blew and Tsubasa called it - in. The little smirk curling her lip up came and went so fast Niko was sure she'd imagined it.

"Damn, okay, Matsu-chan." Sato laughed from across the net, a wide grin on her lips. "You've been keeping that all to yourself this whole time?"

Matsumoto straightened up, grinning. "Maybe. I figured it's about time I give you all a run for your money." Winking, the girl laughed and took a few steps back to prepare for the next rally. In reality, she'd shown off her prowess as a spiker many times in the past, but today it felt different. Like this time… she had to give it her absolute all. For Niko. For herself. For the team. They were finally moving into a realm of total comfort and trust within one another now that the rotten, acidic apple was gone.

That seemed to light a fire under the whole team. The next rally was just as intense - the ball going from one side of the court to the other and back again at high speeds. Despite this, when it was spiked by Setsuna towards Niko, everyone found themselves holding their breath for those few seconds.

Until Niko lifted the ball with little difficulty right to Nakahara. Several of her teammates let out excited yells alongside the libero, which just fueled the inferno. The first receive had been wobbly - Niko was more than willing to admit that. It'd gone to the setter, just not in the manner she'd have preferred. The second receive was better. Still shaky, though.

By the tenth receive, Niko was feeling on top of the world. Admittedly, her wrist was getting a little sore, but she'd been told that would be normal. She had very specific instructions on what to do after each game, and during every time out or break whilst in a match - and she planned on following those to a 'T'.

The end of the match came after an incredibly long rally whilst both teams were at twenty-eight points. Eventually, the purple team managed to score - and then score again in rapid succession. Despite this, Niko was anything but disappointed. It was an intense, amazing game. And she could finally say that she was playing again.

She hadn't even stepped off of the court before Hisakawa had brought her a cooling wrap for her wrist. With a smile and a 'thanks' Niko took it and wrapped it around her slightly throbbing wrist. It wasn't incredibly painful, just a minor ache. Which was a testament to just how much physical therapy she'd done to get it back to this.

Her doctors had both been very upfront with her about the fact that while she'd be able to play again, her wrist would still bother her for some time. In the meantime, she had been given explicit instructions on how to care for her wrist - as well as orders to check in with Dr. Ichibata every now and then (including after today's practice) so he could check on her and her wrist to ensure everything was still going well.

As the rest of the team filed off of the court and to the benches for a breather, Niko found herself being pulled along into the group of girls. Everyone was standing together, laughing and joking easily. "Matsu-chan, you really gave it your all out there. It was amazing. Definitely showed me up a bit - at least at first." Kimura was grinning as she said it, nudging the tall blonde with her foot.

"Eh? Well… it just felt right. Like we were finally playing like we were meant to all along. With Niko back, and the team just kinda being on the same wavelength altogether… it was like everything just felt… good." Matsumoto blushed a little, rubbing the back of her neck as she glanced away. For a moment, no one replied - none of them expecting such a sincere answer.

Then, one by one, they all smiled and began nodding or speaking in agreement. Lying back on one of the benches with a towel over her eyes, Setsuna waved a hand around and murmured in agreement. "It did feel different than before. Was cool."

Niko couldn't agree more. Despite it having been so long since she played, it had just felt natural. Stepping onto the court with them, playing the practice match - it all felt right. There was no tension between anyone anymore, no insecurities or side-eyed glances. It was great. Honestly, it was exhilarating. She couldn't wait for more matches just like this one.

* * *

One doctor's appointment, three long well-meaning and good-mannered lectures from Asahi, Hajime, and Tōru, and five days later… Niko stood with the rest of Aoba Johsai in front of the humongous building. Volleyball teams and spectators were everywhere. It was amazing.

Spring High was upon them.

Unfortunately, Niko's team was competing in a different building than both boys' teams for the first two days. It wouldn't be until the final day that they'd have the possibility of being in the same building - during the final round of the playoffs. Despite this making Niko mildly nervous, she figured in the end it was probably for the best. Fewer distractions this way, she thought - for herself and for both boys' teams.

She and her team made their way into the gymnasium, chattering amongst one another as they found an area to settle down and stretch. There were unmistakable murmurs from other teams every now and then - along with pointed stares at the blonde libero. It was a little disconcerting, but her coach was quick to snap her attention away from it.

"They're surprised to see you here. I'm sure the gossip has made its rounds - and you know how exaggerated it can be. All you need to do is go on that court and play just like you always do. Got it?" The woman stared down at her, hands on her hips.

Taking a deep breath in, Niko smiled and nodded. "Got it, Takahashi-sensei." With a satisfied nod, the coach turned and walked back towards where the first years were stretching. True to her word, Niko brushed aside the looks and ignored the murmurs even as they made their way into the gymnasium and onto the court to warm up.

The crowd was already buzzing with energy. In the stands, Niko easily located her mom and dad amongst Aoba Johsai's cheering team. While the team was nowhere near as spectacular as the boys' was, it was mighty nonetheless. And her mother was eagerly leading it. When their eyes met, Niko gave a bright smile and blew her parents a kiss.

After that, she pulled her focus in. Sliding on the new compression sleeves that she'd been gifted by the youth team, Niko took deep breaths in and out. When she opened her eyes again, she let the rest of the gymnasium float away. Warmup practice was uneventful, minus a not-so-hushed conversation between a few of her opponents.

"Isn't that the girl who had her wrist broken or something?" One of the girls frowned, watching Niko as she did light receives with her teammates. The libero's ears perked up a little, but she remained focused nonetheless.

"Yeah, the libero. Kobaya-something, I think. I'm surprised to see her played." Another player was staring at Niko, watching intently as she warmed up. "Guess that means we'll have an easy win, then, huh? Not sure how well someone can play on a healing wrist."

From the corner of her eye, Niko could see Tora stiffen up and start to turn towards the two girls. Before she could, another player stepped up and pressed a hand to both of their shoulders. "If you ignore the sleeping tiger, you'll be eaten alive. She wouldn't be on the court if she wasn't ready to be." Both girls jumped, turning guiltily to the newcomer. "Now let's keep warming up."

The black-haired girl met Niko's gaze for a moment when she glanced over, then turned and walked with her teammates to their side of the court. It was a small relief that there was someone who wasn't expecting an easy win just because of her injury. Tora let out a slow sigh, shaking her head. "We'll show them just how sleepy you are, huh, Kobayashi?"

Niko laughed, nodding at her captain. "Hell yeah!"

By the time the match officially began, Niko was amped up, waiting for her time on the court. When it came, she was met with loud cheering from the stands and a chant of her name. Across the court, she watched as several opposing players watched her closely. She knew that they'd test her - and she was more than ready for it.

True to her expectation, the moment there was an opportunity for one of the wing spikers on the opposite team to slam a ball towards her, they did. The girl spiked it hard and fast, aiming right for the libero. It was like time slowed down.

Niko blinked, breathing in as her teammates shifted out of the way. She had something to prove - and they were happy to let her. Her left leg slid backwards and she steadied her stance, folding her hands together and stretching her arms out in front. Hips shifting and knees bending as the ball sped towards her, the blonde prepared for the impact.

The ball slammed into her arms, and Niko let her breath out - in a yell that carried over the cheering squads and other teams playing. "OOORRRRAAAA!" Time returned to normal, and the ball flew up - arcing perfectly right to Tora, where she waited with a grin.

Perhaps out of surprise, or maybe simply because her team was on a high and Hitomu was ready to show the other team just what they were made of… but when Hitomu spiked the ball, it ripped past the blockers and landed squarely in the center of the court on the opposite side of the net. The cheers that followed were delayed by only a moment - and mildly deafening.

After that, Wakutani's girls' team stopped underestimating Niko. The match was anything but easy - but the libero wouldn't want it any other way. When the opposing coach called for a timeout when Aoba Johsai made it to twenty points, to Wakutani's fourteen, Niko rested on the bench with a cooling wrap around her wrist.

She didn't miss the pointed stares of other teams - both those playing or in time out, and Wakutani as well. They were all looking at her wrist, varying levels of interest or confusion - or possibly even concern. It was understandable, honestly. Just as her coach had said, the rumors had made their way to nearly every school in their prefecture. They were all surprised to see her playing - and thought that perhaps she wasn't fully healed, given her wrap.

In actuality, Dr. Ichibata and Dr. Shinto had both been clear in their instructions. Cool the wrist off as often as possible. It helped so far - and she'd continue doing it until told otherwise. She'd deal with the stares until then.

The timeout ended, and Niko folded the wrap and left it on the bench before heading back onto the court. When Aoba Johsai made it to twenty-four points, the opposing team called for a player switch. They were swapping out one of their wing spikers - undoubtedly the replacing player was a pinch server.

When she bounced the ball, her eyes were roaming Niko's team calmly. Then the whistle blew, and she tossed the ball up and ran up. Her jump serve was incredible, Niko found herself admitting internally. It was powerful, and direct. Yuki, for all of her incredible talent as a middle blocker, was still learning how to receive serves and spikes like that. It hit her arms and flew at an odd angle out of bounds.

The pinch server pursed her lips, nodding once - and they all knew what she was thinking. There was no doubt in Niko's mind that the girl had been observing the game from the sidelines this whole time - and caught onto the fact that Niko and her teammates all tended to take on the heavier serves and spikes. That Yuki was the weakest link as far as receiving went. Which isn't to say she was weak - just that she didn't have as much experience as the others. Now, she'd target her again.

Unsurprisingly, that's exactly what happened. The second serve, Yuki managed to lift it a bit, but it still careened out of bounds. At a signal from Tora, Niko prepared herself. The third time that the pinch server aimed her missile at Yuki, the first year ducked out of the way.

Pinch server-girl wasn't the only one who could watch and make assessments and judgements. The ball hit Niko's arms with enough force for her whole body to be shoved backward - but damnit, she lifted it and got it into play again. It spun wildly in the air, and the blonde called out, "Cover!" as she fell backwards onto the floor.

Nanami leapt up towards the ball as it began falling - towards the net. Her hand stretched out and she hit it back towards her teammates. Niko was already on her feet, and got under the ball just in time to receive it and send it to Tora - in a much neater form this time. Tora's arms stretched out as she leapt for the ball. Hitomu was running up, yelling for the ball. Their captain's eyes slid towards the ace and the other team began moving to block the impending attack.

As they began moving, Tora's lips curled up in a smirk and just as she made contact with the ball - she dumped it. Watching Wakutani scramble to get the ball before it hit the ground, Tora let her smirk widen and she landed neatly on the floor. At the same time, the ball bounced off of the floor and scored their final point.

The first set ended at 25-21. The second set was won by Aoba Johsai as well, at 25-22. When they lined up at the end of the match and bowed to one another, Niko could barely contain her excitement. Then the teams thanked one another and although she wanted to yell and shout in victory and excitement, Niko withheld from doing so out of respect for the other team.

She waited until they were in the bus to do that.

Niko was quick to inform Asahi, Hajime, and Tōru of her team's win. When she heard that they'd also won their respective matches, the girl had let out a particularly loud cheer. For the time being, she let herself enjoy all of their victories. It was exciting, no matter what the end result was.

That evening, she stayed up late with several of her teammates, watching videos of their opponents the next day - Shiratorizawa, and then if they won that, Johzenji. Shiratorizawa was one of the favorites to win. Much like the boys' team, the girls' was full of talented powerhouses. Unsurprising, given the school's reputation for putting the maximum effort into their sports teams. Whatever came of the next day, Niko was ready and excited to take it on.

* * *

A/N: Hello, hello. Tis I, actually on time with an update! Finally, we segue into Spring High, and Nationals! The next few chapters will move somewhat quickly through Spring High, and then we'll dig in to the second arc ;) As always, thank you very much for your continued support! I adore each and every one of you.

eunoiapaint - Slowly but surely! She's on the rise :) Thank you for your support! I'm so happy to see another review from you, even after my long hiatus!

Ranighastly - Thank yo uso much! I'm so glad to hear that - sorry I nearly made you cry though! I am incredibly happy to hear how much you enjoy the story, and can't thank you enough for your support! They're one of my favourites as well, and knowing how few there are out there I just had to write one - specifically one for Asahi, who is my favourite big ole teddy bear ;-; Thank you! Again!

Coolfire30 - Ahhh thank you so, so much! I appreciate all of your reviews! I'm so happy to hear you took a chance with thise story and are enjoying it! Your investment into it makes me so happy to be able to share it with you each week :) Sorry to make you cry though ;-; promise there will be more happy times... even if not all the time :p


	23. A Glimpse into the Future

"Ne, ne, c'mon, stop whining already. You've got an ice pack, what more could you want?" A girl with short, dyed-blue hair glanced behind her with a roll of her eyes. Trailing not-so-closely behind, a girl with long, silver-grey hair pouted and pressed an ice pack to her face. "We're gonna miss the whole thing, which I'm not okay with!"

Exasperated with her companion, the blue-haired girl took a quick step back and grabbed onto the other girl's wrist. Pulling her forward, she ignored the half-hearted complaints that rose up behind her as they wove around the crowd and into one of the gymnasiums.

Inside, they were quick to move to the front of the stands - or at least, the blue-haired girl was. Her companion was less excited as she whined. They found themselves standing adjacent to a crowd of people she assumed were there to cheer on one of the teams - they all wore similar black and orange clothing. "Shush, Kiharu. Let me see it."

With an exaggerated sigh, the silver-haired girl - Kiharu - begrudgingly moved her hand and the ice pack away from her face. "Does it look bad? It feels bad. Kinda like I got punched in the face. Or at least, I assume that's what it feels like. I've never been punched in the face before…" Pursing her lips a little, she watched her blue-haired companion closely as she examined her face.

Snorting, the girl patted Kiharu's shoulder. "You'll be fine. Doesn't look that bad - some bruising, though. Kinda does look like you got punched in the face."

"Nari-chan! You're not supposed to agree with me!"

"Eh shut up. Blame your soulmate for getting punched in the face. Maybe I'll punch them in the face, too, when we meet them." Nari grinned a bit devilishly, ducking out of the way as Kiharu swiped at her.

"Hey, hey, hey, absolutely not! And stop making me laugh! Your punches feel like a fly landed on me. You'd do no harm." Moments after she said that, the silver-haired girl's eyes widened and then a moment later she whimpered and closed her eyes as she moaned in distress. "Kaa-nee is gonna totally make fun of me for this when we get back…."

Nari lifted a brow, turning towards the court. "Uh you sure that's not one of your fantasies? Can't say I've ever seen that boy make fun of anyone. He doesn't seem like the type." Shaking her head, the girl pushed her companion playfully and looked at the court. "Now shut up and watch the game."

"You're so mean to me, why are we even friends?" Kiharu's lower lip slid out as she pouted again. The act was momentary, as she quickly became distracted by the court. "Hey, hey, hey, is that the shorty you were talking about? Ko-nee mentioned someone like that. Is that him?" Nari followed the girl's finger out to a short, orange-haired player standing on the sidelines.

A cough drew their attention away for a moment, and the duo peered up at the blond man and his glasses-wearing companion as they stepped up to the railing beside them. "The shorty's name is Hinata Shouyo, by the way. Number ten, right?" The blond chuckled as both girls nodded. "He's one of the middle blockers. Maybe you'll get to see his quick spike with number nine this game."

Something in the way he said it made the duo look at one another and then him with concern. "What do you mean, maybe?" Nari leaned towards him a bit, eyes wide. Kiharu peered around her friend to watch him curiously as he frowned.

"Well, ah…" He shot his companion a glance, and the man straightened up and coughed.

"Well, the game was going well, but a little while back, their captain was injured while on the court and had to be taken out of the game. We're hoping that doesn't affect their play." Kiharu and Nari's mouths parted and both breathed out soft 'Ohhh's in sync. "I'm sure they'll pull themselves together, though."

Kiharu let her gaze move back to the court, and she rested her elbows on the railing as she kept the ice pack on her face. Beside her, Nari thanked the man for his information and then turned towards the game again. It seemed like Karasuno was struggling a bit at first, but slowly, they got their groove back. The duo were totally invested in the game after that - with Nari only reminding Kiharu once to thank her when the match was over for dragging her to watch, since it was such a good match.

* * *

They were well into their second set with Shiratorizawa and Niko was tired. They'd managed to scrape by with a win in the first set, the score ending with 29-27. Now, they were at 23-24 and boy was it a little rough. It was very clear why the opposing team was so popular. They were strong.

It was wild - like all of their spikers were either incredibly physically powerful, or just super flexible. Their libero was amazing to watch, too. So fast and incredibly solid with all of her receives. They had a pinch server with an incredibly annoying ceiling serve, and their setter was purposely trying to rile Tora up by copying her style.

It was amazing, and exhilarating. Niko missed playing in matches like this. Everything was on the line. With a wide grin on her lips, she waited on the sidelines in the box until she could go back out onto the court. Rubbing her wrist lightly, she kept her eyes on the court, observing all of the players. Just one more point, and then they'd be at deuce.

If only it was that easy. From her spot on the side of the court, Niko watched as her teammates rallied the ball back and forth with the opposing team over and over again. It was incredible how both teams managed to keep the ball in the air for so long. Until one of the wing spikers on Shiratorizawa managed to spike the ball at an extremely tight angle and sent it soaring through the blockers and straight into the floor just in front of the attack line.

Groaning in defeat, Niko helped hand out towels and drinks to her teammates as they made their way off of the court. One set to them, one to Shiratorizawa. It was inevitable, she supposed. At some point, they'd have had to play a match that went three sets. Just before they moved back onto the court and into the box on the sidelines, Niko's coach checked in with her.

"All good?" The woman eyed her hand, where it stilled on her wrist as she had been massaging it lightly. The concern was warranted - it was a three-set game, after all. She'd only just been cleared to be back on the court, so her coach was keeping a close eye on her to ensure she didn't further injure herself. Knowing this,Niko smiled and nodded.

"Yeah! My wrist is a tiny bit sore, but no more than yesterday. I'm fine. I promise." As her eyes met coach Takahashi's, she almost expected the woman to tell her to send in Kisuke instead. Instead, she narrowed her eyes for a moment and then gave a curt nod.

"Okay. I trust you. Let me know if you need anything."

What a relief that was. Not that she should've been surprised. She knew that if, for even a second, her coach doubted her that she'd pull her out of the game. It shouldn't be necessary, though. Yes, her wrist was sore, but nothing she couldn't handle. Niko was well aware of the fact that if she pushed herself too hard, put too much strain on her wrist, that she'd just end up making things worse for herself. She'd be the first to say something if she felt that she was jeopardizing her wrist and ask to take a break for a while. Kisuke was more than capable of covering for her.

The final set began with a long rally right out of the gate. Much to her relief, though, Niko was able to watch as her team made the first point. When she got back out onto the court, she sucked in a deep breath, grinning to herself.

To the surprise of the crowd - and Shiratorizawa, the coach subbed in Kami Ayeka before the rally began this time. The last set, she'd only served once before it was cut off. This time, Niko knew she'd get in more. She'd been too cautious last time - hit the ball too softly, hadn't pushed it far enough. She'd been trying to play it safe. Now, though, Ayeka had a look of determination on her face.

Ayeka walked up and bounced the ball a few times after swapping out Michi and then glanced up and winked at the other team's libero. She tossed the ball, following up with her standard jump serve. It sped across the court, right for the libero, who… ducked out of the way. The corner of Niko's lips curled up.

"Out!" The girl lifted her arms, leaning away from the ball with a small smirk. As the ball smacked into the floor, the libero found Ayeka's gaze and lifted a brow, unimpressed. Until the referee called it in. Her face dropped, and Ayeka grinned widely.

The next time, she aimed for one of the first years. The girl hesitated a moment too long before going after the ball. It scored them another point as the referee called it in. It took them two more points before the opposing team caught onto her strategy and dove for the ball. Unfortunately, they either didn't get to in time or sent it out of bounds, scoring Aoba Johsai another point. Shiratorizawa's coach called for a timeout, trying to stop Ayeka's momentum. It was somewhat ineffective. Another point was lost, and then finally the libero picked up the ball after hesitating briefly.

It was definitely not the best receive - and it sailed right back over to Aoba Johsai's side of the court. That point was scored by Hitomu with an incredibly exuberant back attack. The next time Ayeka served, the libero managed to lift up the ball properly and Shiratorizawa's ace scored with a straight. Niko had dove for the ball, but was too slow to react. It hit the floor as she was still midair. Niko was sure it was exciting for the other team, but for her it was a little disappointing to see Ayeka cut off. She'd been so close to her record of eight points in a row with her serve.

Of course, this was incredible for her team as a whole, though. It was just the start that they needed, after the roughness of the previous set. Eight to zero was a pretty scary score, though, so their opponents were surely intending on hitting them back just as hard. To no one's surprise - that was exactly what the powerhouse school did.

That set was tough and exciting. Shiratorizawa hit them back with just as much force - between powerful jump serves and incredible spikes, they managed to get the point gap to just four points within a short time. Although somewhat disappointing, by the time Niko's team hit twenty-four points, the opposing team was right behind them at twenty-three.

Her heart felt like it was beating out of her chest. It was this high that Niko loved about volleyball. As one of the spikers hit the ball, glancing it off of Nanami's hand, Niko raced after it. She leapt for the ball, stretching one hand out to get between the ball and the floor.

It hit the floor and bounced up as Niko's body slid towards it, her arms outstretched. Damnit. Leaping up, she cursed under her breath and raced back to the court. Now they were at deuce. She rubbed her wrist, frowning as she mulled over what she knew about the opposing players. What were their habits, their idiosyncrasies, little tells. All of it was being processed quickly and efficiently.

Back and forth, the points went up evenly on both sides. One point to Aoba Johsai, then one to their opponent, and back again. Over and over, both teams scored one brutal point at a time. It was exhausting players from both teams. Swiping her forearm across her sweaty forehead, Niko licked her lips and glanced at the scoreboard.

32-31. Just one more point. Always just one more point. She was grinning, enjoying the grueling pace.

The ball went up again. The bright lights of the gym did little to distract Niko as she followed it, moving to dive and lift it back up. She called for cover, rolling back to her feet as her teammates rushed forward. Michi bounced the ball more cleanly to Tora, while someone called for the left.

Hitomu, Michi, and Sakura all began the run up. The ball passed from Tora's fingertips in a fluid motion, sailing right into Hitomu's waiting palm. She smacked it across the net, sending the ball at a sharp angle behind the blockers who had been moments too late.

Their libero raced forward, diving to send the ball back up. One of their middle blockers bumped it back to the setter, and then the ball was sailing towards the floor. Niko shifted forward, stretching her arms out. It hit her hand, flying back up. Then she was moving again, fingertips briefly touching her wrapped wrist as she began moving to defend again.

This time, Tora accounted for the odd receive on her own and when the ball came flying towards her, she set it right to Hitomu again. Another sharply angled spike, and another messy receive. Again, Niko was running and guiding the ball back towards their setter and captain.

Four attempts to spike it later, Hitomu finally succeeded on scoring the final point - with another cross spike that surprised the opposing team. They'd assumed she would give up trying to hit cross spikes after being thwarted three times. They didn't know Hitomu very well. Her hand was wrapped around her wrist, massaging the inner portion of it lightly with her thumb.

Relief and euphoria flooded through Niko as she celebrated with her team briefly. They had won their second match!

The break between matches would be short, but it was enough to send a couple messages and rest for a while. With her wrist snugly wrapped in the cooling pack, Niko rehydrated and let her body rest alongside her teammates.

* * *

Niko hadn't been surprised to hear that both boys' teams had won their first matches that day. She had been surprised, however, to hear about Daichi's injury. That resulted in a mildly panicked call to Asahi, who was quick to assure her that the crow captain would be fine - if not a little sore. It wasn't until a few minutes after she hung up from the call that Niko remembered what the wins meant for the boys' teams.

Aoba Johsai and Karasuno would be facing off against each other once the break between matches was over. The sheer thought both excited and terrified Niko, honestly. How desperately she wished that she could be watching their match. She was rooting for both teams - despite knowing that one of them would inevitably lose. She sent both teams good luck messages, wishing them well no matter the result.

Some people liked to say you could only root for any one team, but that seemed dumb to her. Each of the teams was important to her, in different ways. She adored Karasuno and Aoba Johsai, and knew that they were both incredibly strong. Whoever came out on top wasn't going to have an easy time of it. It would be deserved, either way.

That's also how she managed to push away her own mild anxieties about her upcoming match. No matter what happened, both teams were going to be giving their all. It wouldn't be an easy win. Of that, she was sure.

* * *

After Karasuno won their match against Wakutani, Kiharu and Nari bid the two men goodbye and left the gym. "Awh, you sure we can't stay longer?" The blue-haired teen nudged her companion, looking at her hopefully. Kiharu frowned a bit, shaking her head.

"I want to, especially since we were so late after the whole fiasco with the train and then me needing to stop for an ice pack, but I gotta get back. You know I have practice later tonight. The coach would eat me alive if I'm late." She looked at her friend apologetically. Nari sighed dramatically, wrapping her arms around Kiharu's midsection.

"I guess all I can really do is forgive you. But this means that you owe me. Next time we have the chance to watch them play, you are required by law to come with me." When the silver-haired girl laughed and nodded, Nari released her. "Good, it's a deal then. Let's at least wander a bit check out the rest of the building for a bit before we leave, then. Pleeaaseee?"

It took Kiharu only a moment to laugh and nod in agreement. "Fine, fine. But make it quick! I dunno why you're so obsessed with this sport. I've never been able to wrap my head around it all that much."

Nari snorted, rolling her eyes. "Which is truly ironic, given your brother." The duo exchanged a look, then burst into laughter as they made it into the hallway. For the next thirty minutes, they wandered around the giant building. Nari was having the time of her life, introducing herself to so many different players Kiharu wondered how she'd remember their names - if she could remember them at all.

When questioned about it, Nari simply sent her a sly grin and shrugged, saying, "I don't need to know their names, just remember their faces… and shirtless torsos." which sent Kiharu into a of laughter that had her doubling over. Trust her best friend to make the most innocent of things into something far less innocent.

"Oooh, ooooh, look!" Nari pulled Kiharu's attention towards a group of players who were resting in one of the little alcoves. "I want to go-"

"They literally just got out of a game less than twenty minutes ago, let them rest."

For a moment, Nari looked dejected, then suddenly bounced right back from it and was grinning. "Well yeah but I'll only take a minute or two of their time!" Before she could stop her friend, Nari bounded forward and called out to the black-clad players.

"Ne, ne, Karasuno, right?!" As she called out to them, the entire team turned towards the duo.

* * *

He didn't recognize either of the girls - and a quick glance at his teammates made him realize that no one else did either. Standing up, Suga smiled calmly and nodded. "That's us. Did you need something?" Not that he was suspicious of the two, but it was pretty abnormal for someone to approach them out of nowhere.

The shorter of the two girls, the one who'd spoken, stepped a little closer. Her bobbed, blue hair bounced when she gave a nod and moved towards him. Behind her, the taller girl pursed her lips and pressed what looked like an ice pack to her cheek. Something about her silver hair and amber eyes reminded him of someone, but he couldn't quite pinpoint who or why.

"Hi! We're huge fans. I just wanted to say that I loved watching your match!" The blue-haired girl pulled his attention to her again, and he looked at her in surprise. After a moment of being unsure how to respond, Suga grinned and rubbed the back of his head.

"Thanks, we appreciate your support…" He trailed off, gaze moving between the two girls. Daichi, who'd been wrangling Tanaka and Nishinoya alongside Ennoshita, appeared next to him with his hands on his hips.

"Thank you! We're glad to have your support. Do you go to Karasuno?" He smiled warmly at the two, and Suga wondered the same thing. He didn't recognize either of them, but that didn't mean they didn't attend their school.

The silver-haired girl snorted, making her companion reach around to smack her arm. "Shut up, Kiharu. It's a legitimate question!" Just as quickly as she turned to face her friend, the girl did an about face back to Daichi and Suga, a huge grin on her lips. "Nah! We're from-" Kiharu slid up right behind the girl, and she jerked in surprise before continuing. "Tokyo."

The two girls' gazes clashed for a moment, before Kiharu smirked and straightened up. "Nariko, you're pretty rude. Not even gonna introduce yourself?"

"Honestly you're a menace." Nariko grumbled, before focusing on Suga and Daichi, who both stood there grinning in amusement. "Sorry, Kiharu's soulmate got punched in the face so she's a little," She lifted a finger, twirling it next to her head with a roll of her eyes, "crazy right now. It scrambled the few brain cells she has too much. Forgive her."

Elbowing her friend, Nariko shoved the other girl a few steps back from her. "Anyway. We were gonna be in the area today, and when I heard you guys were gonna be playing, I just had to come and watch you in person. I've heard a ton about you from our friends." Behind her, Kiharu meandered a few steps away to lean against the wall. Suga glanced her way, but she paid him no mind as she pulled out her phone.

"No worries." Daichi laughed, waving a hand as he shook his head with a grin. The two girls were amusing, they had to admit. "Friends? Anyone that we know?" Undoubtedly, he was thinking the same thing as Suga - Nekomata, or someone from the training camp they'd attended with several schools this past summer. "Oh, sorry, I'm Sawamura Daichi. Captain of the team."

Suga grinned, cheeks turning pink as he realized he'd yet to introduce himself, either. He quickly bowed his head to the duo. "Sugawara Kōshi. Vice captain." Nariko grinned brightly, bowing in return to them both.

She twisted to look at Kiharu, glaring at her silver-haired companion until she pouted and slid up next to her and bowed lightly. "Hanabi Noriko. Nice to meet you both! Ah, I heard about you guys from Kiharu's brother, actually! More specifically, the orange-haired middle blocker, umm… Hin- Hina- Hinata? I think it was?" Her brows furrowed for a moment, and Kiharu opened her mouth to retort something when she was cut off.

"Hey guys, let's start heading down to the court. We're just about up for our final match of the day. Everyone ready?" Ukai unintentionally cut in, before chuckling and bowing his head. "Sorry, ladies."

"Ooh, no, no, it's okay! You guys have to go warm up! It was nice meeting you both, Sugawara-san and Sawamura-san!" Nariko smiled brightly and bowed to them both. "Good luck! We can't watch the game, but we will still be cheering you on nonetheless!"

Kiharu hummed, an arm slipping around Noriko's shoulders, as she locked gazes with Suga. Her eyes were like liquid gold, and her gaze was surprisingly intense. "Ohoho, good luck~ I've got no doubts that you'll win. See ya around." Something about that sent a shiver up his spine. Why couldn't he shake the feeling that he knew her, or that she was somehow familiar?

The taller girl smirked at he and Daichi before she pulled Noriko around and led her away. Needless to say, she was leaving Suga with quite a few questions. Daichi watched the two walk away before he turned to Suga with a grin. "Well, we can't very well disappoint our fans. Let's go win this." At least the captain didn't seem phased by the interaction, he supposed. Shaking it off, Suga grinned and slapped Daichi on the back none-too-lightly.

And so, they did go and win it - for their fans, of course. At least, that's what a certain someone would say, years down the line when they were recounting the story, a teasing grin on their lips as their arms wrapped around a familiar figure.

* * *

A/N: Ohohoho, what is this? ;) Who could she be? Needless to say, this chapter was really fun to write. Something a little outside of the box, and more of a filler than anything with incredible sustenance, but still fun to take a glimpse into the future, no? ;)

Ranighastly - Thank you! I'm so happy that you think so. It means the world to me! I wholeheartedly agree - Asahi is such a sweetheart, and I would absolutely be more intimidated by Dadchi if I had to pick between the two of them. The ace really is glass-hearted :p

eunoiapaint - Yesss! Things are on the up, slowly but surely :) Thank you!

Coolfire30 - Honestly, same. I tried to write a bit more into that in this chapter, but I promise things are on the up for her!

Chocogirl24 - Ahhh, thank you, thank you! I'm happy you think so! I appreciate your support!


	24. Mourning and Celebration

Her heart felt like it weighed a hundred pounds in her chest. Standing on the court, hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. Yesterday had been bittersweet. They'd won their second game, successfully securing their place in the finals. However, Niko had had to make the heart-wrenching decision to bench herself. Halfway through the second set, she found herself unable to keep her hand off of her wrist. During a timeout, she finally came to the realization that she was in more than just a little pain.

She'd cried, sitting on the bench as her teammates continued pushing forward. The pain itself wasn't unbearable, but the fact that she couldn't continue to stand on the court with her teammates…. That was what hurt the most.

Despite that, and of no surprise to Niko, Aoba Johsai barrelled forwards. Their opponents were defeated, after three gruelling sets. She'd celebrated with them, allowing them to fret over her as she updated them on what her physical therapist had told her to do after she'd texted her about her wrist. There was no guarantee that she'd be totally fine tomorrow. It was a frightening thought.

Beyond that, though,Karasuno had won their second match as well, meaning they were going to the finals today as well. On the flip side… that also meant Tōru, Hajime, and their team lost. Their dreams of going to Nationals were cut short.

Which was, in part, why it meant so much today for the girls to win. She would push through and beat Niiyama with her team, not only for herself and her team, but also for Tōru, Hajime, and all of the boys. The ones who had helped her become who she was.

Today, if she focused and took the time to calm her heart and breathing, Niko could feel Asahi's spikes and receives. The finals were held in the same building, but separate gymnasiums. Which was probably a good thing. She's not sure how he might have reacted if he knew she'd been benched for the first two sets. It'd been a long discussion between her and her coach, but the benching had been a mutual decision.

Niko had to push all of the annoying, persistent thoughts of 'I'm abandoning my team' and 'I should be on the court right now' away. They wouldn't help her, and she needed to focus on this game. On her team and their opponents. Observe them from the sidelines calmly so she could defend better against them when she stepped onto the court. The third set was upon them, and Niko was finishing warming up as the team huddled together briefly.

It was disheartening for all of them that Niiyama had just won the second set. The first set had also been won by their opponents. With scores of 22-25 in the first set, and 29-31 in the second, it was frustrating. They were so close, yet so far. Swearing under her breath, Niko straightened up from her stretch.

"You're all frustrated and upset, I know." Coach Takahashi had her hands on her hips, frown pulling the corners of her lips down. "But you're letting your anxieties get the better of you. Take a step back. Calm down, clear your minds. You can do this."

Niko licked her lips, shaking herself. She was going to protect them all, at any cost. That was her duty. Guard her team's backs as they fought the battles in the air. Together, they were striving for greatness. She couldn't let them down. Standing up straighter, she stepped a little closer to the center and looked around at her teammates. "I am here. I will be behind you all, watching and guarding your backs. I can't fight our battles in the sky like you all can, but I can protect you from the ground. Please, believe in me - and believe in yourselves."

She took a moment to meet each of her teammates' gazes. Smiles turned up their lips as their shoulders dropped just a bit. "I will fight their captain with all of my might." A daunting task, but Niko had to. And she knew that she could. Niiyama's captain had hit her kouhai with intense spikes at the end of the match, one after another.

They'd been difficult to receive - especially for a first year. On the sidelines, Niko had watched the opposing captain like a hawk every time that she spiked. Taking in every minute movement, absorbing the details of her spike. Information processing through her brain as she readied herself to receive the same spikes. Several times while on the sidelines, she caught herself making the motions to receive them as they soared towards Kisuke.

The whistle blew, and they all headed onto the court again. Sucking in a slow breath, Niko rolled her shoulders and lifted her chin. They needed to win this. They were going to win this. The Queens would be defeated.

It was a breath of fresh air when Aoba Johsai managed to score the first point of the set. The crushing force of the Queens was inched up. They were making headway. Tora was serving, and Niko followed the ball as she tossed it in the air. Her lips curled up. Her captain had been pushing herself hard in the past few months in particular. Increasing the power and accuracy of her serves beyond what they already were - and it clearly was paying off. She appeared to have taken a page out of Tōru's book as she leapt up and basically sent a high-velocity missile to the other side of the court.

Number six on the opposing team received it - or, rather, got hit by it. The ball flew off away from the court and nearly took out a camera in the process. Number five had raced after the ball, but it was of no use. It hit the floor and Aoba Johsai scored another point. The next serve, Tora swore under her breath when the libero seemingly manifested out of nowhere and pulled her serve up. Then the ball went into play.

Number two set the ball up high - and a glance at Yuki confirmed Niko's suspicions. The captain's spike was coming. Throughout the whole game, Yuki had been keeping a close eye on the opposing team. Between that and the videos they'd pored over last night, she had managed to figure out a pattern to their attacks. She mentioned it after the last set was lost. Now, she was holding up a hand behind her back - index finger pointing towards the ceiling.

Just as Yuki suspected, the captain leapt up for the ball and hit it towards Niko. It was fast, with the girl's full force behind it. It was designed to break the team's spirit. Break her spirit. A deep breath in, and Niko found the world slowing around her.

One rotation, two, three. The ball spun towards her, and the blonde slid her feet wider apart and lowered her torso. Adjustments she'd realized she'd need to make, after observing Kisuke and other teammates try to receive it during the last two sets. Arms stretched out for the receive, Niko squared her shoulders and let her body move with the push of the ball. Her arms were pushed downwards into her thighs, and then she pushed them right back up, angling them slightly.

All the air left her lungs as the ball slowed and arced right to Tora. Finally, finally, finally! Just like she promised, Niko got the ball Niiyama's captain spiked. It was a relief - to her, and to her teammates. With renewed vigor, Tora set the ball behind her all the way across the court - to Hitomu as she leapt from the back to spike it across the net.

Three points in, and Niiyama called a timeout. Heading off the court, Niko found that she couldn't hold back her grin. "I'm sure you're all aware, but the only reason for this timeout is to try and stop our momentum. Niko just received the captain's spike - a feat they'd thought would be difficult if not impossible. That will lift everyone up, and they want to keep our momentum to a minimum. Don't let this stop you. Keep powering forward."

And so, they did. Five points in for Aoba Johsai, Niiyama scored their first point of the set. Even that didn't bring Niko's team down. They scrambled together, pushing ever forwards. Back and forth, the teams see-sawed. One point to Aoba Johsai, two to Niiyama, one to Aoba Johsai, one to Niiyama, two to Aoba Johsai, and so on and so forth.

Nearly three-quarters of the way through the set, Niko and her team were positively radiant. They'd managed to keep the lead, and kept the gap to three points. It was clearly frustrating Niiyama, but they'd still been able to keep cool heads.

With her mind clear of everything besides this game, this volleyball, this point, Niko slid across the gymnasium floor to put her hand between the ball and the floor when Niiyama's setter dumped it. As the ball flew back up into play, she rolled to her feet and dashed to the side as Hitomu spiked the ball. The blockers caught it, sending it back down.

Again, Niko found herself sliding across the floor, ball hitting her hand and soaring back up for her waiting teammates. When the opposing team managed to spike past the blockers, she was running forward, chasing the ball as it soared towards the floor. When it hit her arms, it wobbled and sailed towards the left. Michi connected with the ball and sent it back to Tora.

They put their all in. Pushing back against the overwhelming force of the Queens, who demanded that they kneel before them. Niko and her teammates struggled to their feet together, pushing the incredible weight of their opponents off of them. Aoba Johsai won the third set at a score of 29-27.

It was all that she and her team needed to feel confident and re-motivated. The fourth set was just as tight. The point gap stayed about the same throughout it, narrowing a few times before they managed to pull forward again. Somewhat surprisingly, albeit incredibly exhilarating, Aoba Johsai won with a score of 25-21.

Four sets in, and one more to go. Two wins, two losses. It was all riding on this.

They were all tired, but a glance around told Niko that none of them were willing to give up. Neither her teammates nor her opponents.

"AOBA GIRLS! YOU CAN DO IT!" The yell came from the stands, followed by another, then one more, then a chorus of them. Both teams turned towards the noise - and Niko found the grin stretching across her lips as she was met with the sight of several members of the boys' team standing at the railing, gripping it tightly and leaning over to call for them.

Heart leaping into her throat, Niko lifted a hand and blew them a kiss as one of the TV crews chided them for the noise. "We're gonna win for you!" It was a bold statement, and she knew it. Despite this, she was met with a confident smirk from Hajime and Tōru.

"You'd better!" Surprisingly, it was Hajime who yelled out this time - before promptly pulling his teammates back to sit down and watch the game after they were chided again. She could see him shoving them into seats and threatening Oikawa with a water bottle before he sat down as well.

"Well, I think this means we have to win, now." Tora smirked at Niko as they readied to go back onto the court. Their teammates had grins tugging up their lips as they nudged one another eagerly.

Laughing, Niko nodded. "Absolutely." Despite the pressure on them, the expectations and concerns both within themselves and by the crowd… somehow, knowing that they had the support from the boys helped Niko's whole team stand a little straighter. Their cheering section roared to life as they stepped back onto the court.

The last set was a whirlwind. Both teams were giving their all. No holds barred, they spiked every ball like it was their last time, they received wildly, and they served intensely. They would not roll over. They couldn't. Neither would yield to the other willingly. They'd push each other to the brink.

The score was kept close throughout it. Neither team gained an advantage of more than two points at any given time. The entire arena seemed like they were on the edge of their seats, just like Niko and her teammates metaphorically were. There were no guarantees in this game. They had to keep pushing.

Aoba Johsai was at set point. Niiyama was one point behind. It was their opponent's serve, and the ball was received cleanly by Hitomu. Back and forth over the net, time and time again as it never touched the floor. Niko received a spike, stumbling backwards at the force of it. Her wrist twinged in pain. The strain of three intense sets was starting to show. Tora followed the ball, leaping up to set it from an incredibly awkward position. Tossing it behind her, she called for their ace.

Hitomu's back attacks were something else. It was beautiful, and her whole body arced with the force she put behind the spike. In the few seconds she had to make a call, the ace managed to target the spot between the libero and Niiyama's number six. They both moved towards it, in sync, until they spotted the other. The hesitation was barely a second, but it was a second too long. The ball hit the gymnasium and bounced up. The referee's whistle blew, and Niko felt like her heart was lifting to the ceiling.

Twenty-two points to twenty.

The rushing of excitement inside of her was drowned out only by the yells and cheers of the crowd. They'd- They won!

Niko yelled out, pumping her fists in the air. Aoba Johsai won!

The high that she and her team was on, it was incredible. Finally, they beat Niiyama. Even as they thanked each other's teams for the game, Niko couldn't keep the smile off of her face. Then they met with the other team's coach, who provided some pretty great advice to them all - including mentioning to Niko that she needed to work on her flexibility so that she could move better on a dime. She also made sure to tell her to rest her wrist.

"Congratulations." Outside of the gymnasium, Niiyama's captain came up to Niko, Tora, and Hitomu. "You earned that. You'd best take national's by storm - you're carrying our dreams on your shoulders, too, now." The tall blonde grinned wryly.

Tora laughed, nodding as they shook hands. "Absolutely. You guys killed it out there. Thank you so much."

They parted ways, and prepared for the celebration ceremony. At one point, Hajime had come to tell her that Karasuno had won against Shiratorizawa as well. She wasn't sure when he and Tōru had left to watch the end of the boys' game, but she wasn't bothered by that. In fact, she was glad that they had. Niko was on cloud nine. Karasuno was moving onto Nationals, and so was her team. They'd both be able to keep playing.

The ceremony went by in a blur, and Niko honestly couldn't really say that she remembered it all that well right now. Her mind was a jumbled mess of excitement and nerves. Some part of her was still trying to catch up, trying to make her realize that this wasn't a dream. Her team really had won. Later, when she calmed down, she'd be able to reflect more clearly on it.

The moment she was able to, Niko parted from her team and ran to Asahi when he and his team stepped out of the building. His only warning that she was approaching was Niko's squeal of excitement. Kudos to Asahi for his reaction time - he turned on a dime and caught her as she leapt at him. "Congratulations! You guys, I'm so proud of you!" She slid her arms around Asahi's neck and kissed both of his cheeks in quick succession. He was grinning, and she planted a completely unsubtle kiss on his lips in front of their teammates, unable to contain herself.

She could hear a few of her teammates snickering behind her as she pulled back, grinning brightly at her boyfriend and his teammates. The low rumbling of his chuckle vibrated through Asahi's chest as he leaned in to kiss her forehead as his cheeks grew rosy. "Same to you, Niko. I heard you all did great during your match. We'll be seeing you at Nationals." He lowered her to the ground slowly as she nodded exuberantly.

The next five minutes were spent with the two teams slowly mingling. They were all too excited about their wins, and eager to revel in them with like-minded people. No one had any reservations about the others being from another team - they were just lost in the moment. Pretty much everyone was congratulating one another and talking rapidly. For a while, it made Niko forget about the other side of the coin.

After they were back home, and the high was ebbing away into determination and slow realization, it all came to a head. The girls' team met with their coach to discuss what the next steps would be, and afterwards, Niko found herself walking to the gymnasium where the boys always practiced. Her heart was hammering against her ribcage.

Inside, nearly all of the members were practicing. Their coaches were nowhere to be seen - which meant this was a last-minute decision by the boys themselves. Niko watched, silent, for a long time. Taking in their determination, their desire to overcome this defeat and better themselves. They weren't letting the loss bring them down. It made her proud.

She knew the team was strong - she'd always known that. Pitying them would do them no good. They were pressing forward, eager to improve and learn more. They were all shooting for the next shot at Nationals the following year. Eyes focused forward, they weren't allowing negativity enough room in their minds to pull them backwards.

"Oi, you guys have any need for another libero for a bit?" She called out, grinning when they all paused to look at her. Several hours of rest had let the ache in Niko's wrist subside, so she was more than happy to play more, should they allow her to crash their party. None of them answered her verbally - instead, Hajime simply jerked his head in a silent request to join his team alongside Tōru, Matsukawa, Hanamaki, and Sawauchi. Watari rolled his eyes and slid over to the other side of the net.

"Really? How is this fair, again?" Yahaba put his hands on his hips, eyes narrowed as he watched the six third years push one another around as Niko stepped onto the court. Not a single one of them even had the decency to look chagrined as their kouhai looked at them in varying states of exasperation or - in some cases - mild fear.

"All's fair in love and volleyball." Niko laughed, shrugging. "If it will make you feel any better, you can consider it a lesson, then." She winked, and Yahaba lifted his hand. She burst into a fit of giggles as he flipped her off and let out a huff. On the opposite side of the net, Yahaba, Watari, Kindaichi, Kunimi, Kyōtani, and Yuda all got ready to start the match in their makeshift formation.

To say the third years wiped the floor with the first and second years would be an insult. They absolutely obliterated them. Eventually, they did switch the teams up to make it more fair, though. That was when the real fun began. They spent probably a good two hours, playing match after match with one another until they were all exhausted. At that point, they hung around the gym for a while before cleaning up and heading out - after Tōru went and made them all cry, that is.

All in all, it was relaxing. Whilst the boys' team was still in a state of mourning, to some extent, they weren't letting it hold them back too much. They all wanted to push beyond it, and were diligent in doing so. She knew that even if she hadn't shown up to their practice, they'd still be just fine. It felt right, though. Like she was wrapping up the year just the way she'd begun it - by crashing their practice.

* * *

The month after Spring High was a blur. Practice was intense, but it was buffered by occasional days of rest. Niko continued with her physical therapy, as well as check-ins with Dr. Ichibata. Her wrist was doing well overall, healing nicely. She'd still been instructed to try and keep it easy on the heavy receives for a while, but that was to be expected.

By the time November was coming to a close, she no longer found herself absent-mindedly rubbing her wrist between receives. Practice with the youth team continued like normal, with the team truly bonding. They'd even gone out together once, which was a lot of fun. In fact, that's what Niko was currently getting ready for. A second outing with the youth team.

The first time, they'd gone to a cafe for a bit before heading to a nearby botanical garden to walk around for a while. This time, they'd decided to watch a movie and then go for dinner. They were doing all of this after practice, so Niko had gone back with Kasumi to her house in order to get ready. She lived nearby, so it was convenient. Several others went along as well.

Currently, they were all in Kasumi's bedroom, chatting away as they changed into the extra clothes they'd brought. "Feels like we're getting ready for one hell of a group date, doesn't it?" Rika laughed, nudging Niko as she pulled on her thigh-high stockings. A few feet away, Kasumi snorted and Yumi grinned crookedly, shaking her head.

"If you're sweet to me, I might even let you kiss me goodnight, Rika-chan." Niko straightened up, winking playfully at her teammate. "But only on the cheek. I'm a good, innocent girl. I'd never let you get further than that on our first date." Around her, the other girls burst into laughter.

"Oho, what a deal. Be nice for a while and I get to kiss Niko? Hell yeah, I'm down." The middle blocker winked back at her and they both shared a laugh. Niko plopped back onto the bed with a grin.

Curled up in the middle of the bed, Setsuna groaned and nudged her with a foot before burying her face in her arms and falling silent again. That was enough to send the room into a bout of laughter. "Sorry, sorry, sleepy-head." Niko teased, everyone following suit shortly after.

"Ne, random but serious question." Rika spoke up after several minutes of silence. All heads turned towards her (with the exception of the sleeping Setsuna) and regarded her curiously. Her cheeks colored slightly and she stared at the blanket. "Do you think… it's wrong, um… if you date someone that's not your soulmate?"

She swallowed, refusing to meet the eyes of her teammates. There was a moment of silence before Yumi shrugged. "Not at all. I mean, plenty of people don't 'wait' for their soulmates. Obviously, some do, but not everyone." She pursed her lips, watching Rika as her cheeks grew more pink.

Niko nodded and propped herself up on the bed with her elbows. "Agreed. I know what I say might not hold a ton of weight since I met mine, but I wouldn't blame anyone for dating other people before they met theirs. Some people get weird about it, and are like 'but they're the one you're meant to be with!' but if you find someone you want to be with… why miss out on that opportunity just because you might some day meet your soulmate? Who knows when that will happen, anyway."

Rika lifted her gaze to meet Niko's as the libero watched her calmly. Her cheeks were still bright red. "You really think so? I've heard a bunch of people say it's like… basically cheating, if you date anyone besides your soulmate. But like you said… we never know when we're going to meet them, right? And, like… some people meet their soulmates, and just stay friends with them, right? It's not always romantic?"

"Mhhmmm. My sister's soulmate is her best friend, but she's happily married to someone else. No two relationships between soulmates are the same. Like, I can't imagine not dating Yumi, but-" Kasumi cut herself off suddenly, bolting upwards as she clamped her hands over her mouth with wide eyes.

Several things clicked in Niko's mind suddenly. First, how comfortable Kasumi and Yumi were with one another. Second, the subtle feelings that they were closer than they'd let on during practice. Third, the time she'd walked in on them after practice one day and they'd leapt apart all of a sudden. Niko had assumed they'd just been talking quietly, and had passed it off as nothing. Now she was realizing they were most likely not talking.

Yumi rolled her eyes and heaved a sigh, shoving Kasumi lightly as Niko sat upright with a wide grin. "I'm not at all surprised by this."

Rika frowned, looking between the three girls in confusion. "Wait, what? You and Yumi are soulmates?" Kasumi let out a whine, then laughed and nodded slowly. "Oh. Wait. When-"

"Uh, we've known for a few years. Been dating for a year and a half… We weren't gonna tell anyone on the team - no offense!" The wing spiker sat up and whipped towards the other three as Yumi smirked. "It's just… we didn't want anyone to think any differently of us, y'know? Like… I dunno. Some people aren't… comfortable…. Around…" She waved a hand, unsure of how to continue.

"What, you thought if we knew you were not straight, we'd not want to change around you or something?" Rika frowned again, sitting on the bed cross-legged. Kasumi and Yumi exchanged a glance, and then both shrugged. "I think by this point, no one would care. Everyone on the team now is pretty chill and open. Though I can't say I blame you, given our previous teammate."

Niko cringed a bit, but found herself nodding. It wasn't that she'd thought Nao would've been rude towards them or bullied them for their relationship - it was more that there were times that she wished she hadn't been so open about Asahi, since all that gave the girl was more ammunition against her. She didn't blame the other two for wanting to keep their relationship a secret from everyone, so that level of toxicity was kept out of it.

There was a short silence before Kasumi laughed a little, rubbing the back of her neck. "I guess you're right, honestly. I trust everyone on the team now. I just hadn't thought about mentioning it. Not like there's really a good time to suddenly go 'oh by the way guys, Yumi and I are a thing'." Yumi snorted, then laughed and nodded in agreement.

"Exactly. Though it could've been a fun way to end practice one day. Can you imagine, you spike a ball and as you land you just casually flip your hair over your shoulder and say that? Or even better, what a way to get some points from the other team. Declare that and then use their confusion to your advantage." With every idea, Yumi was laughing harder and harder, until she was barely able to speak between bouts of it. Kasumi soon joined her, and the other two quickly found themselves wiping tears of joy from their eyes as they pictured those scenes happening.

Setsuna peeked at them, yawning as she lifted her head a bit. "If you want to go in for the kill, just kiss in front of everyone without announcing anything. That'd really fuck with them for a bit." She grinned tiredly as she slowly sat up. There was a brief moment of surprise from the other four on the bed - none of them realized their teammate was awake - but they all dissolved into laughter quickly once again.

After several minutes of this, they finally calmed down enough to continue the original conversation. Surprisingly, it was Setsuna who brought it back up. "On a serious note, Rika-chan, do what makes you happy. If you've found someone that does, then there's no reason not to explore that relationship. If you meet your soulmate later in life, then you can decide from there what to do. But living your life, just waiting to do anything at all in case you do meet them… well, that's not really living at all, in my opinion."

Niko, Kasumi, and Yumi were all quick to agree. It was a touchy subject for some people, but Niko never really understood why some people were so gung-ho about just waiting for their soulmate. It seemed so… empty? Honestly. Some people met their soulmates early on, but some didn't meet them until they were already middle-aged. Some never met theirs. Waiting could take forever - sometimes quite literally.

In her opinion, chasing your own happiness was what mattered. Fate gave them soulmates, but that didn't mean they had to wait for fate to show up or just go along for the ride. Everyone could make their own lives whatever they wanted. If they happened to meet their soulmate along the way, they'd also be able to choose what path to take from there instead of jumping on the most obvious one. Even if that's pretty much exactly what she did, given how she and Asahi started dating pretty shortly after meeting.

Eventually, Rika spoke up and broke Niko from her thoughts. "Thank you all, for saying that. It makes me feel a lot better…" She licked her lips, then lifted her chin and grinned. Her cheeks were dusted with pink once again. "There's this guy that I met recently that I really like, and he asked me out… but I haven't given him an answer yet because I was worrying too much about all of that. I'm going to tell him yes tonight."

Her declaration was met with cheers from three of the four, and one encouraging pat from the ever-tired Setsuna. The group then fell into a short discussion of said guy - which was mostly just Kasumi trying to get Rika to spill the details on what he looked like and where he went to school. Unfortunately for the wing spiker, Rika was nothing if not stubborn. She refused to tell anything about him.

Instead, she quickly diverted the conversation to remind them that they were supposed to be leaving to meet the rest of their team at the theater. This was followed by several half-hearted groans and then the five girls clamoring out of the crowded bed and grabbing purses or backpacks before heading out.

The movie was a riot, with the volleyball team ending up being the only people in the theater. It made for an incredibly entertaining experience. The film was meant to be a horror/suspense film (which Niko had been dreading) but it was anything but scary since every time one of the monsters would appear, Kasumi would yell about how she'd spike a ball right through its head if it turned towards her. Between that and several girls snickering about the plot holes and less-than-stellar graphics, the movie turned out to be more funny than scary (which was a relief for the libero).

* * *

A/N: Hello, hello. We will begin pre-nationals training shortly, including a little cameo by a certain training camp in particular (there will be spoilers if you haven't read the manga… will try to keep them to a minimum!) and a couple more fluffy chapters before we get into Nationals! Interestingly enough, this chapter sat at about 2k words for several days before my brain jump started and I got the inspiration to rewrite it. I then got wayyyy too into it... Ope. Sorry it's a little late!

Ranighastly - ;) ;) ;) hell yeah he does! It's definitely in the works, but won't be out until after I finish this one. No doubt you all will be seeing more of Kiharu in the future in here, though… ;) Not gonna lie… It was a real toss up between Dadchi and Kuroo for me for the basis of my next fic. Although I ended up going with Daichi on this one, I'll probably end up making something short for Kuroo at some point too!

eunoiapaint - Sorry to have made you wait! 3

Chocogirl24 - thank you so much! I'm glad to hear that 3


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